The Girl Nextdoor
by MissFiyerabaMeponineSherlock
Summary: How Marius and Eponine met, became best friends, and how a blonde from Eponine's past changed everything
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so I just got back from seeing Les Miserables... again... and this popped into my head when Eponine was talking to Marius in his apartment. In the book, Marius and the Thenardiers are neighbours so... well, here's my idea.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or the characters.**

Marius was sitting in his apartment, reading one of his law books, when he heard a loud thump and the sound of wood breaking. He put his law book down and got up. The sound had come from the neighbouring apartment. There was another loud thump, followed by the sound of a creaky door being opened, another thump, and lastly, the sound of a door being slammed shut. Marius walked over to the door and opened it, wondering what on earth his neighbours were doing. There, on the ground, he saw a girl holding her head, her face was contorted in pain.

The girl's head was bleeding quite a bit. Her tangled brown hair was dripping blood and her grimy hands were covered in it. Marius looked at the girl in shock, wondering what had happened to her. Had she been beaten? Was that what all the noise had been?

The girl didn't move, just sat there on the ground, leaning against the wall, and holding her head. She didn't seem to notice Marius. Marius walked over to the girl and knelt down next to her.

"Are you alright?" he asked her. The girl, not looking at him, gave a slight, sarcastic laugh.

"Do I _look_ alright?" she asked sarcastically. Marius frowned.

"Let me help you," Marius said, standing up and holding out a hand for her. Still not looking at him, the girl stood up without any help from Marius. "How badly are you hurt?" he asked her.

"I've had worse." she replied merely. Then, she looked at him. She took in his handsome, young face that was seemingly full of concern. She looked into his deep, caring blue eyes.

"Are you sure you don't need help? It looks like you've lost a lot of blood." he noted. He wasn't wrong. There was a large puddle of the girl's blood on the floor and the poor girl was still bleeding.

"I'll be fine," she said, not wanting him–or anyone else, for that matter–to think she was weak. But as she said this, she stumbled a bit and nearly collapsed. As I've mentioned, the girl had lost a lot of blood. Marius held the girl up so that she did not fall.

"Please, let me help you." he said, watching her worriedly. The girl sighed and gave in to Marius' offer of help. Marius brought the girl inside his apartment and treated her wounds to the best of his ability–which was actually pretty good.

Marius noticed that girl was shivering. Then he noticed the threadbare cloth that she was wearing. Marius gave her the blanket from his bed. There wasn't much else he could do. While it was true that Marius had a rich grandfather, it was also true that Marius refused to take any of his money. Marius had only the money that he had earned, which was still a fair amount. But he did not use it on finding better living quarters. His apartment was quite bland. There was not much in it. He had a bed, a fire place, a sofa, a small chest, a washing basin, and a bookcase. The small chest contained a few articles of clothing as well as an extra pillow and an extra blanket. The bookcase had only a couple of law books.

The girl wrapped the blanket around herself, still shivering. Marius noticed how thin she was. She looked like she hadn't eaten in days, which, in truth, she hadn't. The girl was covered in grime and her hair was in knots, yet she still retained some beauty. The girl was also covered in bruises. She was very pale, but that was probably due to loss of blood.

"What happened?" he asked, wondering how she had gotten the injury in the first place.

"Nothing," she replied. Marius raised an eyebrow. The girl frowned. "Well _I_ didn't do anything." she added. She sighed. "This," she said, gesturing towards her head wound "is what happens when my father gets angry."

"He... he beats you?" Marius asked, shocked. The girl nodded sadly. "Why?"

"I wish I knew." she replied, frowning. A sudden thought occured to her. "I really must be going." she said quickly. She gave him back the blanket. "My name's Eponine, by the way." she told him.

"I'm Marius." he said. Eponine smiled slightly. It was the first time Marius had seen her smile. It was amazing how that small smile lit up her face. Marius smiled back, which made Eponine's smile widen.

"Well it was a pleasure to meet you, Monsieur Marius." she said before she left.

Marius hoped that she wasn't going back to her father. For some reason, he didn't want anything bad to happen to Eponine, for some reason he felt protective of her. But Eponine hadn't gone back to her father, nor did she intend to.

Eponine had left because she didn't want her father to know that Marius had helped her, she was worried that her father might do something to Marius. So Eponine took to the streets. She knew she couldn't go back to her father. She was now homeless.

**Alrighty, so now it's up to you whether or not I continue this. If you want it to be more than a one-shot, then please say so in a review. Au revoir!**


	2. Chapter 2

**The people have spoken! Here's the next chapter, as promised. Go raibh maith agat as an athbhreithnithe comhchineáil.**

**Disclaimer: Alas, no, I do not own Les Miserables or the characters.**

2

Eponine was living on the streets. She had been for a month now. She slept very little. When she did sleep, it was during the day. At night, she wandered the streets. She hadn't seen Marius at all, which, she thought, was probably a good thing. Eponine looked even worse than she had before. She was even thinner, her face was gaunt and pale. She was starving and could hardly even walk straight. It was hard for her to think and she often got lost when she was walking through th streets of Paris. Which is how she found herself where she was now.

Eponine found herself in a bad part of Paris. All around her there were men paying prostitutes for their services. She felt an arm circle around her waist. She pulled away and turned. She saw a man standing there with a grin on his face.

"Lovely lady! What yer waiting for? Doesn't take a lot of savvy just to be a whore. Come on, lady! What's a lady for?" he said, taking a step towards her. Eponine took a step back from him.

"No, no, Monsieur. There's nothing you'd want me for." she said. The man laughed. "I'm telling you, Monsieur I'm no whore."

"Is this a joke? I'll give you 10 sous for the night. I know yer broke, and you can't put up a good fight."

"I'm not a whore." she told him, taking another step back.

"Let's 'ave a taste." he said.

"I'm not a whore." she repeated.

"You're not a whore? Oh how drôle, oh how chaste!" he said as he grabbed her.

"No no, Monsieur. I beg of you let me go."

"Don't worry dear, we can go nice and slow." he said. Eponine pulled away from him.

"Leave me alone!" he grabbed her again and dragged her away. "I'm gonna scream! Some one will find me here!"

"One little scream and you won't live to see next year!" he threatened. He pinned her to the ground and started to strip her. Eponine tried to fight him off, but starvation had weakened her. She screamed. The man covered her mouth with his hand. "I'll finish you! I'll finish you once we're through!" he continued to strip her but she kept pulling her clothing back on. Then, Eponine heard the sound of footsteps. The man heard them too. Someone had heard Eponine's scream, someone was coming to help her. And that someone just happened to be Marius Pontmercy.

"Let her go!" Marius told him. The man laughed and pulled out a knife.

"Come any closer and I'll begin to cut."

"You drop that knife, or you will die by my hand." Marius threatened.

"Oh now I'm scared!" the man said sarcastically. Eponine tried to push him off of her. This time it worked as he had been distracted by Marius. She grabbed the knife out of his hand. "You've got some nerve, you little slut! You've got some gall!" he was about to make a grab for the knife, but Marius pinned his arms back. Marius knocked him out. He looked over at Eponine.

"Are you hurt?" he asked her. She shook her head. Marius held out a hand and, this time, Eponine took it. Marius helped her up. He noticed how bad she looked. Eponine stumbled and nearly fell back down. Marius wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her up. "Have you been living on the street?" Eponine nodded. "Why?" he asked her. Eponine looked at him.

"I don't have much of a choice." she replied. "Where else could I go? I can't live with my father anymore."

"You can stay with me, 'Ponine." he told her, using a nickname he'd just thought of.

"My father would find out."

"I have money, if we need to we could rent out a different apartment."

"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"Doing what?"

"Being so... so nice?"

"Because you don't deserve all of the awful things that have happened to you." he replied.

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

"I could be a murderer." she said

"But I know you're not."

"How could you know that, Monsieur?"

"Because if you were, you wouldn't have put up with your father." he stated

"I could be a theif."

"So what if you are?"

"It's against the law."

"So is plotting against the monarchy." he said. Eponine raised an eyebrow. Marius grinned. "So what do you say, Mademoiselle Eponine? Will you accept my offer of help?" he asked. Eponine smiled slightly and nodded. "Come on then. Tonight we'll stay in the Gorbeau House. Tomorrow we can find new living quarters." he said to Eponine. She nodded.

Slowly (because Eponine wasn't able to walk very fast), they made their way back to Marius' apartment. Marius kept his arm around Eponine to make sure she didn't fall over. Eponine did not mind. At all.

They went inside Marius' apartment room.

"You can have the bed," he said "I'll sleep on the sofa."

"Are you sure?" Eponine asked. Marius nodded. He helped her over to the bed. Eponine lay down and wrapped herself in the blankets. Marius grabbed the extra blanket and pillow from the trunk and brought them over to the sofa. He made up a sort of make-shift bed. "Good night, Marius." Eponine said. Marius smiled lightly as he looked over at Eponine.

"Good night Eponine." he replied. Sleep came easily to Eponine, but not so much to Marius. Marius was worrying about Eponine. She was way too thin. He would have to make sure she ate. He looked over at her. She was still asleep and shivering. Marius got up and brought his blanket over to her and put it on top of her. Eponine's shivering subsided. Marius smiled.

**Well I hope you liked it. Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, here's the next chapter. I am watching Les Miserables 25th anniversary at the O2 as I type this. Oh my God, Norm Lewis is amazing... and so is Samantha Barks, obviously.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the characters.**

3

Eponine woke up the next morning and wondered where she was. Then she remembered the night before. She looked over at Marius, who was asleep on the sofa. She noticed that he didn't have a blanket. She looked down and noticed the extra blanket. She looked back at Marius. _Why is he being so nice to me?_ Eponine wondered. No one had been this nice to her for a long time. For so long she had been all alone, without any friends, without anyone she could really talk to. But now it seemed she wouldn't have to be alone anymore. That made her smile a bit. She was also smiling because she'd just realized how cute he was. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. His light brown hair was sticking up and his lips were parted slightly. She knew that behind his closed lids he had deep blue eyes that were filled with warmth. Eponine knew she could easily get lost in his eyes.

Marius shifted a bit in his sleep. Eponine watched him for a moment and then looked out the window. It was still dark out, Eponine guessed it was very early in the morning. She decided to go back to sleep.

Marius woke up a couple of hours later and looked over at Eponine, who was asleep once more. He noticed how peaceful she looked in her sleep, and more... innocent. When she was awake she was so guarded. But not when she was sleeping. Her guard was down.

Eponine's face contorted in fear. She started to toss and turn. She was obviously having a nightmare. And by the look of it, it was the worst nightmare ever. Marius decided to wake her up. He got up and walked over to her. He shook her shoulders lightly. Eponine awoke and sat up, gasping for breath. Her gasps turned into sobs.

"Eponine, what's wrong?" Marius asked her. She was sobbing too much to answer. Marius wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to comfort her. Eponine rested her head against his chest and continued to sob. They stayed like that for a while. Neither spoke. Marius just held Eponine and she let him. After a while, Eponine's tears started to subside. Then Eponine spoke.

"A couple of years ago, my father went into a blind rage. It was awful. No one knew why he was so angry. As usual, he took it out on me and my sister, Azelma. But he went a bit too far. He... he shoved 'Zelma into the wall and she hit her head with a sickening crack and she... she just dropped to the ground, dead. He'd killed her..." Eponine had started to sob again. Marius didn't know what to say, so he just held her there. In Eponine's nightmare she had relived that moment, the moment that her father had killed her sister.

"Why did you stay with him after that?" Marius asked after a moment. "Why didn't you run away from him?"

"Honestly... I did. I ran away quite a few times. But he found me. He always finds me..." she whispered.

"'Ponine, I promise that I will never let him hurt you again." Marius told her. She looked at him. She wrapped her arms around him. He held her tight. "You'll never have to be alone again." he promised her. "From now on, I will always be here."

Eponine smiled slightly. She had a friend. It had happened in an odd way, but Eponine Thenardier actually had a friend. She didn't have to be alone in the world anymore. She had someone she could trust, a friend that she could rely on. She rested her head against Marius' chest. Marius held her close. It felt nice to be held instead of throttled. Eponine actually felt a bit happy.

...

By the end of the day they had moved out of the Gorbeau House and into a new apartment. The new apartment had multiple rooms. Marius had also bought another bed so no one would have to sleep on the sofa as well as some new clothes for Eponine. He didn't want her to have to wear threadbare rags. At that moment, Marius was sitting on the sofa reading a law book and Eponine was in the other room taking a very badly needed bath. When Eponine was done, she came out wearing one of the new dresses that Marius had bought her. She almost looked like a completely different person. Her hair was no longer in tangles, her hair was no longer matted with dirt, she was no longer covered in grime. Marius looked over at her and nearly gasped. Eponine looked beautiful. She was still way too skinny, but that would change. Marius would see to that. Marius got up and walked over to her.

"Mademoiselle, you look beautiful." he told her. Eponine blushed slightly. By the look on her face Marius could tell that she didn't believe him when he told her that she was beautiful. "I mean it, Eponine. You really are beautiful." Eponine blushed even more. Marius held out a hand. "May I have this dance?" he asked her. Eponine looked at him, laughing slightly.

"But there's no music." she said.

"Does that matter?" he asked. Eponine smiled and took his hand. Marius twirled her around and the two danced. It was the most fun Eponine'd had in a long time, though she'd never tell Marius that.

It was during that moment, as Eponine and Marius danced around the room, that Eponine realized something. It was something that she'd never felt before, but she still knew what the feeling was. It was like she'd found a light in darkness, something warm in all of the cold. Eponine, having never felt like this before, knew what the feeling was all the same.

Eponine Thenardier knew that she was falling in love with Marius Pontmercy.

**Well, there it is. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**So how do ya like my new profile pic? I edited it myself. It inspired an idea. I have a facebook page now called Missfiyeraba. Wanna like it? *hopeful smile* Anyways, enough talk. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Les Miserables or any of the characters**

4

She loved him. Eponine Thenardier loved Marius Pontmercy. She was sure of it. She hadnt known it was possible to fall in love so fast. With each passing day she fell even more in love with him. But Eponine knew that he did not have the same feelings. Or, if he did, he just hadn't realized it yet. It was kind of amazing that Marius hadn't noticed how in love with him she was. Whenever Eponine looked at him, there was so much love in her eyes. Ever since that night that they had danced together Eponine hadn't been able to stop thinking about Marius. She was in love and she knew it.

Marius came home one day from work (he worked for a publisher, translating manuscripts into French) and he saw Eponine trying to read one of his law books. By the look on her face she was obviously having difficulty understanding it.

"Good book?" he asked. Eponine laughed.

"I wouldn't know." she admitted. Marius smiled.

"You can't read it?"

"Oh I can read it... I just don't understand it." she looked back at the book. "Mal-uhm in say **(Malum in se)**: An offence mal-uhm in say is one which is naturally evil; offences at common law are generally mala in sese." she slowly read aloud, having no idea what it really meant. Marius smiled. She had done pretty well. "What does that mean?" she asked him.

"Malum in se is a latin term referring to an act that is 'wrong in itself,' in its very nature being illegal because it violates the natural, moral or public principles of a civilized society. In criminal law it is one of the collection of crimes which are traditional and not just created by statute, which are 'malum prohibitum.'" Marius explained. Eponine just looked at him, hardly understanding a word he'd said. Though, she noticed that when he spoke about law, he spoke so passionately. It made Eponine smile. She liked hearing that passion in his voice.

"What's mal-uhm prohibit-uhm?" she asked.

"It's latin meaning 'wrong due to being prohibited,' which refers to crimes made so by statute, compared to crimes based on Common Law and obvious violations of society's standards which are defined as 'malum in se.'" he replied. Eponine smiled. She looked back at the law book, looking for something else that she could ask him about. She looked up at him after finding something.

"What's a white collar crime?"

"A generic term for crimes involving commercial fraud, cheating consumers, swindles, insider trading on the stock market, embezzlement and other forms of dishonest business schemes. The term comes from the out of date assumption that business executives wear white shirts and ties. It also theoretically distinguishes these crimes and criminals from physical crimes, supposedly likely to be committed by 'blue collar' workers." he told her with a smile, realizing what she was doing. For the next half hour Eponine kept asking Marius what certain legal terms meant. She even started to understand what some of them meant.

"So my father is guilty of both mal-uhm in say and mal-uhm prohibit-uhm." she said with a slight laugh.

"Then he could go to jail."

"And so could I."

"Why?"

"I told you I was a theif."

"You said 'could be'"

"In that case, 'could be' meant 'am a'"

"Hmm,"

"I hope you don't think any less of me..." Eponine said as she looked at him, slightly worried.

"Of course not."

"But it's illegal."

"Again, so is plotting against the monarchy." he said. "'Ponine, you did what you needed to survive. So what if you had to steal? That's in the past. You'll never have the need to steal ever again. I'll see to that." he kissed her on the forehead. Eponine smiled and blushed a little. Marius smiled. Eponine felt like she might melt. She always felt like that whenever Marius smiled, especially when his smile was directed at her.

_One Year Later_

Marius and Eponine were best friends. Eponine was still very much in love with Marius, though he still hadn't realized that. Eponine was starting to wonder if he ever would. She had been quite obvious about it. She hadn't straight out told him, but she hadn't hidden her feelings at all. She guessed that it was a flaw that all men shared: they were all completely blind to what was in front of them.

Eponine hoped that Marius would realize her feelings for him soon and that he would share those feelings. But her hopes were crushed when, one day, Marius spotted a blissful blond walking around the slums of Saint-Michel with an older man. Eponine had recognized her immediately. Cosette. The very same Cosette that had lived with Eponine and her family when they were younger. Eponine looked at Marius and saw that his gaze was fixed on Cosette, just as Cosette's was fixed on him. But as quickly as she came, Cosette left with the older man, Valjean. Eponine recognized the look in Marius' eyes. It was the same look that Eponine had in her eyes whenever she looked at him.

"Who was that girl?" Marius asked when he and Eponine had gone home.

"Cosette," Eponine whispered brokenly.

"Cosette... what a beautiful name! It's perfect for such a beautiful girl!" he exclaimed. He looked at Eponine. "Eponine, my friend, I think I'm in love with her!" Eponine nearly started to cry, but instead of crying she wiped her face of all emotion.

"You've only seen her once." she said. "You haven't even talked to her!"

"It does not matter. I know that I am in love with her, I needed only to see her."

"That's not love, Marius. That's lust."

"No, it's not. It's love." Marius argued.

"You don't even know her! You haven't even talked to her! How could you possibly know that you love her!?"

"I just do."

"You know nothing about her! I guess that doesn't really matter to you as long as she's pretty!" Eponine snapped. Marius slapped her. Eponine stumbled back and actually fell over. She looked at Marius in shock. Marius also seemed surprised about what he had just done. He hadn't meant to, he had just been mad that Eponine was insulting his love for Cosette.

"Eponine, I'm sorry." he said. Eponine looked away from him and got up without a word. "Eponine, please, I'm sorry." Eponine walked out of the apartment room and then out of the building. Once she was out of the building she let the tears fall.

...

Marius hadn't meant to hit her. He knew it was wrong, especially after all Eponine had suffered through when she had lived with her father. Marius couldn't believe he'd done that to her! _But she shouldn't have insuted my love for Cosette. She doesn't know how it feels to be in love!_ Marius wrongly thought. Of course Eponine knew how it felt to be in love. She was, after all, in love with him. _I still shouldn't have hit her... my God, what have I done!? Eponine will never forgive me! What have I done!? _he thought. He decided to go and look for her. He had to tell her how sorry he was.

...

Eponine was walking through the streets of Paris, thinking about everything that had happened ever since she'd met Marius. First, he'd helped her after her father had beaten her, then he'd saved her from being raped, then he'd given her a safe place to live, then he'd made her fall in love with him while he never noticed, then they'd become best friends, and then... he saw Cosette and was suddenly in love and he slapped her. She wasn't sure what hurt more; the fact that he loved Cosette after one glance or the fact that he'd slapped her. Even though he had slapped her, Eponine knew that she couldn't stop loving him. Of course, she was angry with him but she still loved him. Why did he have to love that drasted Cosette!? It started to rain.

"I'm all alone again once more, without a friend and there's nothing I can do. I don't want to return to solitude and to misery. I'll wait for night to come, then I can live in my own world. I'll walk alone and these streets will become mine. Paris sleeps in the night and I can write my story on my own. On my own, pretending he's beside me. All alone I'll walk with him 'til morning. My eyes close and Marius finally embraces me. And when I lose my way, I know that he will find me. With him, I'm not the same anymore. I love the rain and pretending that we walk together. Our two shadows, like two giants that love eachother, meet at our feet and are reflected in the Seine. And I know it's only in my mind, that I'm talking to myself and not to him. And still I continue to believe that with him I'll write my story. I love him, but when the night is over he is gone the river's just a river. And the world becomes the same again. It loses all its colour and its rainbow diadem. Yes, I love him but every day I'm learning all my life I've been waiting for a shadow. Without me, his world will go on turning. My story is a broken shell, a dream full of happiness from which I've never had my part! I love him. Yes, I love him. I love him... but only on my own..." Eponine sang softly.

...

Marius was having no luck finding Eponine.

...

"Who is this hussy?" Eponine heard a low voice growl. She immediately recognized the voice as her father's.

"It's your brat, Eponine. Don't you know yer own kid? Haven't seen 'er about in a year." Babet said.

"Eponine, you've been gone. Where on earth 'ave you been? Looks like you've been livin' the good life." M. Thenardier said. Eponine backed away from him. The Patron Minette surrounded her. "Grab 'er!" Thenardier hissed.

...

Marius looked around. It was dark now. He noticed a lot of homeless people sleeping on the ground. Several had horrible injuries. Several were ill. He walked past them, he needed to find Eponine. But then he saw someone who was laying apart from everyone else. The body was curled around something in its stomach that Marius recognized to be a knife. He walked towards the figure. its face was hidden behind its hair so that Marius couldn't even tell if it was a boy or a girl. He knelt down next to the poor being and checked for a pulse. As soon as he touched it, the person spoke:

"Please, no more! Just let me die! Please just let me die!" it said in a weak voice. Marius recognized the voice.

"Eponine!" he whispered. He brushed her hair out of her face. Sure enough, it was Eponine.

"Just make it stop! Please just make it stop!" she begged, not even realizing that it was Marius.

"We need to get you to the hospital." he said. He picked her up. Eponine whimpered in pain. "You're going to be okay, 'Ponine." he told her as he carried her to the hospital.

"Please make it stop!" she begged, tears of pain falling from her eyes.

"It'll be over soon, 'Ponine. I promise." he told her.

"Marius...?" she whispered, realizing that it was him.

"I'm here, 'Ponine."

"That's all I need to know."

"You're going to be okay."

"As long as your here." she whispered. And, with that, Eponine lost consciousness.

**So what do ya think? It's my longest chapter yet. Please review... and like the facebook page :3 Pretty please?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello my lovelies! You can probably expect frequent updates, I have a good idea of where this story is heading. Sorry if I don't go into much detail about Marius and Cosette. I don't like Cosette. At all.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or the characters, I wish I did but I don't**

5

Marius brought Eponine to the hospital. The doctors went to work on her right away. Marius paced outside of the large hospital room which held many beds, but not as many patients. Would Eponine live? He sincerely hoped so. She couldn't die. She had to live. He needed her to live, she was his best friend. He didn't know what he'd do if she died. Marius felt even more guilty about slapping her. If he hadn't slapped her then she wouldn't have left. If she hadn't left then she wouldn't have been stabbed. If Eponine died it would partially be Marius' fault.

Marius was relieved when the doctor came out after finished Eponine's surgery and told him the Eponine would be okay. Marius walked into the room and walked over to Eponine's bed.

Eponine had fallen into an exhausted sleep. Marius sat next to her and held her hand. Eponine didn't stir. Marius was so glad that she was okay. He kissed her forehead lightly. He thought he saw her smile slightly, but then he doubted it.

"Hey there, 'Ponine." he whispered softly. "I'm here and I'm not going to leave you. I promise you that 'Ponine. And I am so sorry for what happened earlier, I don't know what came over me. When you wake up, you can yell and scream at me all you want. I deserve it. But no matter what, if you need me then I'll be here 'Ponine. I promise." he told her even though he knew that she probably couldn't hear him. He sat with her for a while, talking to her while she slept, pretending that she could hear him. Marius could hear soft voices.

He looked up and, to his surprise, he saw Cosette and Valjean talking to some of the sick people. Cosette looked over and noticed him. She smiled and walked over to him while Valjean continued on talking to the ill. Valjean kept moving on, not even noticing Cosette's absence. Marius looked at Cosette and smile. _Mon Dieu, she is beautiful_ Marius thought.

"Hello Monsieur," she said "I noticed you the other day in Saint-Michel." Marius smiled.

"I noticed you too," he replied. Cosette smiled. "My name is Marius Pontmercy."

"And I'm Cosette."

The two of them proceeded to profess their love for eachother, both making sure that Valjean was out of sight and out of ear-shot. Valjean didn't suspect a thing. Just as they shared their first kiss, Eponine opened her eyes and saw them. Her breath hitched in her throat and her heart just stopped. She seemed to have lost the will to live. She was heartbroken.

Marius looked over at Eponine and noticed that she wasn't breathing. She was completely motionless.

"Eponine?" he shook her shoulders gently. No response. "Eponine?" he checked for a pulse. He found none. "Eponine!" Marius sent Cosette to get a doctor. "Eponine please come back! Please... I need you..." he whispered to her. Eponine's heart started to beat again and she started to breathe. "Oh thank God!" he held Eponine's hand. Cosette came back with the doctor and Marius explained what had happened. The doctor told him to keep an eye on her. They weren't going to keep her in the hospital. They had stitched her wound, she wouldn't bleed out and Marius had assured them that he had learned how to resuscitate someone (Joly had taught him). Marius hadn't thought to bring any money when he had left the apartment to look for Eponine, so he couldn't get a carriage. They had to walk back to the apartment. Eponine was very weak though and, like that night long ago, he kept his arm around her while they walked home so that she wouldn't collapse. Cosette had told Marius where he could find her, but told him to be careful. She didn't want her father to know. Not yet anyways. Valjean had always been very protective of Cosette. Marius had promised her that they would meet again.

Eponine was barely conscious. Marius was half carrying her to the apartment. Eponine was wondering why she was alive. She wasn't even sure that she wanted to be alive. She thought back to how she had felt when she and Marius had first become friends. Since she'd met him, everything had changed. Eponine, who had been less happy that the smallest sallow in the sky, hadn't known for a long time what it was like to feel safe, to feel cared for. For years, as far back as she could remember, she had been treated horrible by her father. She had always shivered in her threadbare rags, but then, once Marius had come into her life, she felt warm. Before Marius her soul had been cold, but then he came and her soul was warm. She was no longer alone. Somebody was there. But then Cosette came back into her life and ruined everything! Eponine had finally found happiness, finally found a friend, finally fallen in love. But then Cosette came and, after one glance, Marius had fallen in love with her. Eponine held back a sigh.

_Maybe I'm just not meant to be happy,_ Eponine thought miserably. _It's not fair! They've only talked once! I'm his best friend, why does _she_ get him?_ _Damn her!_ Eponine was definitely heartbroken. She tried not to let that show.

"Eponine?" Marius said.

"Hmm?"

"Who... who did that to you? Was it... was it your father?"

"No, it was a magical leprachaun." She replied sarcastically. "What do you think?" Marius was silent for a moment. He still felt horrible about what he had done earlier. He knew he needed to apologize.

"Eponine?"

"Yes Marius?"

"I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have hit you. I really didn't meant to and I'm really sorry." he told her.

"Marius, right now really isn't the time for this discussion seeing as I am not completely conscious." she said. Marius picked her up and carried her, not wanting her to have to walk in the state she was in.

"Rest now, 'Ponine." he told her. Eponine rested her head on Marius' shoulder and closed her eyes. She soon drifted off into sleep. Marius carried her back to the apartment and carefully, so as not to wake her, put her down on the bed and placed the blanket on top of her. Marius watched her sleep for a moment before going to bed himself. In his sleep, Marius dreamed of Cosette.

In her sleep, Eponine dreamed of the sweet bliss that came with death.

**Sorry that it was short, but I just thought I'd leave you with that rather depressing ending. I shall update soon. Please review! And check out that facebook page if you can**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again, here is the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the characters.**

6

Eponine had gone into a dark place. She was depressed and she didn't know if she even wanted to live. Despite living with him, she didn't see Marius that much anymore. He was always either at work, with Les Amis de 'ABC, or with his 'beloved' Cosette. Eponine had lost her light in the dark. More importantly, she had lost her will to live. _What's the point of life if I've lost my happiness?_ she thought. Eponine was miserable. It felt like she'd lost her only friend, well, in her mind she had. She rarely saw him, he was never there. He spent most of his time with his precious Cosette. Eponine had come to really hate Cosette. It was Cosette who took away her happiness. It was because of Cosette that Marius was never around anymore. Eponine only saw him for an hour or so at night before he went to bed. What was worse was when he brought Cosette back to the apartment. That just killed her because then she had to look at the girl that had ruined re life. Though, of course, Marius didn't suspect a thing. He didn't suspect that Eponine was in love with him, or that she sorely missed him, or that him being with Cosette was killing her inside. He also didn't suspect that Eponine was starting to become suicidal. Maybe 'starting' is an understatement. Eponine was suicidal. She couldn't think of any reason to live. She had lost her best friend–her only friend–and the man she loved. She had no one and no reason to live. Even when Eponine did see Marius, all he talked about was Cosette and that made it all the worse. It killed her that he was so in love with Cosette, whom he had fallen in love with at a glance. And so, as Marius was visiting his 'true love', Eponine found herself on the bridge overlooking the Seine. She was ready to die.

"Without me, his world will go on turning." she whispered to herself. _He won't care if I'm gone. He'll just go back to _her_. He won't miss me. He doesn't need me._ She thought. _All he wants to do is be with Cosette, or talk about Cosette. I don't matter to him. I'm just as good to him dead as I am to him alive._ She thought for a moment about death: _How peaceful it must be. To have the waves crashing above me as I sink deeper and deeper; as I drift into that final sleep. I wonder if they'll ever find my body. Will they have a funeral? Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace. Besides, death is never really the end. Is it? Seeing death as the end of life is like seeing the horizon as the end of the ocean. Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the candles because the dawn has come._

Eponine looked over the edge of the bridge. _That's an awfully far way down. _She took a deep breath and tried to gather up the courage to jump. She stood there like that for a good quarter of an hour.

...

When Marius went back to the apartment after spending the evening with Cosette he found a letter left for him by Eponine. He unfolded the letter and started to read it. The letter read:

_Marius,_

_Without me your world will go on turning._

_Eponine_

Marius thought for a moment about what the letter might mean.

"Oh!" he exclaimed when he realized that it was a suicide letter. He put his coat on and ran outside into the pouring rain and started looking for Eponine. _Why would she even think of...? _Marius wondered. He ran through the streets, looking for any sign of Eponine. He hoped she was still alive and that she hadn't killed herself. He needed her to be alive. She was his best friend for God's sake! _What would I do if Eponine died? Oh God, please don't let me be too late! I need to stop her from doing this, she need to live!_

Luckily, Marius found her. Eponine was about to jump and Marius knew it.

"Eponine! No! Stop! Don't jump!" he called out. Eponine turned and looked at him. Her face was tearstained, thought it was hard to tell in the rain. As Marius walked closer, Eponine inched closer towards to edge. "Please! Please, Eponine, please don't do this!" he begged her. "Please Eponine! I need you to live, I don't know what I'd do if you were gone!"

"I know exactly what you'd do! You'd go back to your precious Cosette! And 'Pauvre Eponine' would be in the past. No one would remember her! No one would care!" she shouted, tears falling from her eyes.

"That's not true, 'Ponine. I care. I care about you, you're my best friend!"

"Well it really doesn't seem like it."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Cosette! Ever since you learned where she lives you've stopped being my best friend! I rarely see you and when I do, you always talk about your 'beloved' Cosette! You don't see much do you Marius?"

"What do you mean?"

"By God Marius! Don't you see how much it kills me to see you so much in love with her!? To hear you talk about her all the time!?" she hissed. Marius looked at her in shock, not quite sure what she was getting at.

"I don't understand." he said. Eponine threw her arms up in frustration.

"Marius, I honestly don't know how you haven't noticed! I've made no attempt to hide it!" she exclaimed. Marius obviously didn't understand. "Marius!" she said exasperatedly. "I'm in love with you!" Marius gasped.

"What?"

"I have been for a long time now. It hurts to see you with her, to hear you talk about her over and over again. Every time you talked about her, I died a little inside." she told him. Marius just stared at her in shock. "So now you know." she turned back to the Seine. She was going to jump, there was nothing that would change her mind; nothing that Marius could say to persuade her not to kill herself. She prepared to jump.

"Eponine I love you!" Marius said quickly. Eponine looked at him.

"Marius..." she started "don't lie to me."

"But it's true!"

"No, it's not. You're just saying that so I won't kill myself."

"But I do love you, 'Ponine. As a friend." he told her.

"Ouch." she said.

"Eponine, please I need you to be alive."

"Marius..." she whispered. He was looking at her with those big puppy eyes that she could never refuse anything to. "Fine. I won't kill myself. But please don't expect me to be able to live with you anymore. It's just too much. I just can't..."

"Can we still be friends?"

"Ouch." she said again. "I don't know, Marius. Of course I want to be, but I don't want to hear about–"

"I promise I won't talk to you about Cosette."

"Then yes. We can still be friends." she told him. Marius smiled slightly.

"But where will you go?"

"I know my way around." Eponine replied merely.

"I'll miss you, 'Ponine." he walked over to her. Eponine started to walk towards him, but she slipped on the slippery, wet pavement and fell over the edge of the bridge overlooking the Seine.

**Mwa ha ha. Cliff hanger. Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Haha! I got you worried now I have, that shows you like this fanfic quite a lot :3 As I am typing this I am listening to the entire score of Les Miserables (which I know all of and I constantly annoy my friends by serenading them randomly and in lieu of nothing... I also annoy them by giving a full-fledged speech on why Eponine and Marius should be together and how I think that Cosette should have been hit by a tractor... er, a carriage... or, you know, attacked by pidgeons and carried off to Narnia. I'm a very random person.) Also, I just finished watching the 10th anniversary of Les Miserables on my iPod and is it just me, or does everyone else like to watch the actors sitting in chairs in the background. I found it particularly entertaining to watch Valjean and javert drink water during Beggars at the Feast.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or the characters**

7

"Eponine!" Marius exclaimed as he watched his best friend fall over the edge of the bridge and into the Seine. Well, he'd seen her fall at least. But he hadn't heard any splash. He walked over and looked over the edge. There he found Eponine holding on to the bridge for dear life. He knelt down and held out a hand for her. "Eponine, grab my hand!" Eponine reached out a shaking hand to grab Marius'. Marius tried to pull her up, but her hands were slippery from the rain. Eponine's hand slipped from his grasp and she nearly fell into the Seine. She looked up at Marius. Marius could see the fear in her eyes. She reached her hand out again and grabbed his hand, but once again, it slipped from his grasp.

"I don't want to die!" Eponine said, realizing how much she really hated heights... and water.

"You won't, 'Ponine." he told her, seizing her hand again.

"I'm slipping, I don't know if I can hold on much longer!"

"I've got you, 'Ponine." it was true, Marius finally had a good grip on her hand; it hadn't slipped from his grasp. Marius pulled Eponine up. Eponine was shaking like a leaf. Marius wrapped his arms around her. "It's alright, 'Ponine, you're safe now."

"I really hate heights." she muttered. Marius held her close. Eponine closed her eyes and, just for a moment, imagined that these were better circumstances; that Marius felt the same way about her that she felt about him. But as I've said, the beautiful illusion lasted for just a moment for, at that moment, Cosette and Valjean walked over to them. They were on one of their nightly walks.

Marius helped Eponine up and greeted Cosette with a hug and Valjean with a handshake. Valjean knew about them now and he approved of Marius. Valajean was happy for them.

"Hello," Cosette said to Eponine, who was still shaking.

"Er, hi." Eponine replied awkardly. Cosette, of course, recognized Eponine (not by name because when Marius had been about to introduce them Eponine had just shook her head and walked out of the apartment) from all of the times that she'd gone to Marius' apartment.

"Would you like to join us?" Valjean asked them.

"Sure," Marius replied. Eponine shook her head.

"No thank you. I really ought to be going." she said. She hurried off. Marius watched her go, knowing that he wouldn't see her later at the apartment. He wondered when he would see her again. He joined Cosette and Valjean on their walk.

...

Eponine was on her own again. Though, this time it was her own choice. She just couldn't bare to look at Marius and Cosette together. It hurt so much but there was nothing she could do about it.

"And now I'm all alone once more, no where to turn no one to go to." she mumbled. She really had no where that she could go. "I guess I'll live in the streets again." and that she did.

Weeks passed. Marius and Eponine hadn't talked once. They hadn't seen eachother either, well, that's not completely true. Eponine had seen Marius several times. Marius had not seen her even once. Eponine would follow him, unseen, when he went to work or to the cafe and, sometimes, she'd follow him to Cosette's house but then leave before he even went inside. She did not want to see the blissful blonde.

Eponine had become dangerously thin again, her hair was matted with dirt again. She'd gone back to the way she was before she'd met Marius, except that, now, her heart ached at the very thought of him.

"I love him..." she whispered quietly.

"Who do ya love?" asked a familiar voice.

"'Vroche?"

"Who else would it be?" he replied. Eponine turned to face her brother.

"Oh how good to see you!" she exclaimed. It had been a while since Eponine had actually talked to someone.

"So, who do ya love?" he asked again. Eponine sighed.

"It doesn't matter. He does not feel the same way."

"Who?"

"A person."

"Which person?"

"A male person."

"Well tha' narrows it down considerably. Which male person?"

"A certain revolutionary student male person." Eponine replied.

"Grantaire?" Gavroche asked jokingly with a huge grin.

"God no." Eponine shuddered. The drunken Grantaire had flirted with her many times, but Eponine always gave him a very firm 'no' as an answer. Gavroche laughed at the look of disgust on Eponine's face.

"Lesgles?"

"No."

"Courfeyrac?"

"No."

"Enjolras."

"No."

"Combferre?"

"No."

"Feuilly?"

"No."

"Prouvaire?"

"No."

"Joly?"

"No."

"Bahoral?"

"No."

"Hmm, can't think o' anyone else." Gavroche said jokingly. Eponine rolled her eyes. "So yer in love with Marius?" he asked. Eponine nodded. "But he doesn't feel the same way?" Eponine nodded again. "Why?"

"Cosette."

"Who's tha'?"

"Some bourgeois two-a-penny thing." Eponine told him.

"Why does he like 'er?"

"I honestly don't know, 'Vroche. He fell in love with her after seeing her once. They hadn't even talked!"

"Huh..." Gavroche said, not really understanding how someone could fall in love after one glance.

"I don't get it either." she admitted.

"C'mon, Eponine, let's go get somethin' to eat." he said, noticing how starved she looked. Eponine nodded and went with her little brother. That's how Eponine became a thief once more.

...

A couple more weeks passed. Marius had become very worried about Eponine as he had not seen her even once and it had been more than a month. Eponine saw Marius almost everyday.

Eponine followed Marius to number 55 Rue Plumet, where Cosette lived. This time, she watched him go inside and then watched the house for a moment. Then she heard harsh, angry voices.

"This is his house, I've seen the old fox around. He keeps himself to himself."

"I smell profit here!"

"What do I care who you should rob! Give me my share, finish the job!"

"You shut your mouth, you'll get what's yours!" it was Eponine's father.

"What 'ave we 'ere?"

"Who is this hussy?" Eponine had been discovered. "You!" her father hissed. "You still alive then? That can change."

"I know this house I tell you! There's nothing here for you! Just the old man and the girl." she told him.

"You've got some gall, take care young miss, you've got a lot to say!"

"I'm gonna scream! I'm gonna warn them here!"

"Scream and you die."

"If I don't, will they?" she asked.

"If they catch us in the act." her father replied. Eponine screamed. "Take to the sewers! Go underground! Leave her to me, don't wait around!" he whispered furiously to his gang. Eponine ran for it. She got about a block away before she felt something tear into her. She looked down at her chest and saw the tip of a silver blade. She reached a hand back and felt the handle of the knife. Her father had thrown a knife at her back and it hadn't missed. Her father ran over to her and pulled the knife out slowly. He shoved her to the ground. "Now you die." he told her. He left her to bleed out.

Eponine gasped in pain. _I'm going to die..._ she thought. _I don't want to die! Not like this!_ she was all alone. She had never felt so alone in her life. Tears fell from her eyes, they were tears of sorrow. Oh how she wished that Marius was there, holding her in his arms. But he wasn't. He was with Cosette. So she would die alone. At least Marius would be safe. But she still wished that she were with him. Eponine let out a sob. All she could think about was how she really didn't want to be alone right now. She closed her eyes and imagined that Marius stood by.

"Marius..." she whispered.

"I'm here." a voice replied. Eponine opened her eyes and saw Marius.

"Wow, I'm good." she said with a weak laugh that turned into a cough.

"Eponine what happened?"

"My father was going to rob Cosette and Valjean so I screamed... my father didn't like that." she replied. She shuddered in pain. Marius took her in his arms. "You're here... that's all I need to know..." she whispered. She had tears in her eyes. "I love you... Marius..." she told him. He kissed her forehead lightly. "At least I won't die alone now... I feel better in your arms. Nothing bad can happen now, as long as your here." Eponine gasped in pain. She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them, Marius was gone. She was all alone. She had imagined the whole thing. "Oh God..." she whispered. She let out a scream of pure agony. The scream did not go unheard. The last thing Eponine saw before she lost consciousness was Marius. The real Marius.

...

While Cosette and Marius knew otherwise, Valjean thought that it had been Cosette who screamed. He also thought that Javert had found him again. He walked over to Cosette.

"Pack your bags, tomorrow we leave for Calais and then to England." he told her.

"Father please, no! What about Marius?"

"Cosette, I promise you that you will find love again. But it is no longer safe for us here. We must go!" he told her. Cosette's eyes filled with tears. She didn't want to leave Marius, but she listened to her father and went and packed her bags. She sent a petit gamin to give a letter to Marius, telling him that she was leaving for England. The petit gamin, you can probably guess, was none other than Gavroche.

Gavroche looked everywhere for Marius, but could not find him. Then he realized that the one place he had not looked was the hospital. He decided to check and there he found Marius pacing.

"Marius?" Marius turned at the sound of Gavroche's voice.

"Hello there, Gavroche." he said quietly.

"I 'ave a letter for you." he told him. Gavroche handed him the letter. Marius read it. He held back tears. Not only was Eponine possibly dying, but now Cosette was leaving and he would probably never see her again.

"Thank you, Gavroche. Do you know about Eponine?"

"What about 'er?"

"She's been stabbed. In the chest." Marius told him. Gavroche's eyes widened.

"By who?"

"I don't know."

"Is she goin' to be okay?"

"I don't know that either." Marius said with a sigh.

"Marius?"

"Yes?"

"Everyone's at the barricade now." Gavroche told him

"What?"

"They're all fighting at the barricade."

...

Once the doctor told Marius and Gavroche that Eponine would be okay, both relaxed a little. Eponine would be okay. Gavroche wouldn't lose his sister and Marius wouldn't lose his best friend.

...

When Eponine opened her eyes she found that she was alone. She looked around the room. Beside her was a letter. She recognized Marius' writing. She picked it up and started to read it:

_Dear 'Ponine,_

_Cosette has left for England. I have left for the barricade. Gavroche will probably be there when you wake, I talked him out of coming to the barricade _(at least Marius thought he had). _If I should die in the battle to come, then I want you to know that I do love you, maybe a bit more than just friends but not the way you love me. I'm sorry for that, Eponine. If I live, then I'll see you soon. Please, try not to worry about me Eponine. If I die, then try to forget me, try to have a good life. You deserve a long and happy life. Try to forget me, okay?_

_Love,_

_Marius_

"Forget about him? Like hell I will!" she muttered, getting up out of the hospital bed, wincing as she did so. Despite being told by many doctors that she shouldn't leave the hospital, Eponine left in search of the barricade. She had to make sure that Marius lived.

Even if that meant dying in the process.

**Hope ya enjoyed. I may or may not post the next chapter tonight. I dunno. Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the characters. I also don't own Wuthering Heights**

8

Eponine, still wearing a white hospital gown, ran through the streets looking for the barricade. _Why? Why did he have to go? God damnit Marius!_ Eponine knew that she probably looked ridiculous running through the streets of Paris in a hospital gown, but she ignored that just as she ignored the horrible pain she felt in her chest. She hoped that Marius was still alive. _If he's dead I'll kill him. _She kept looking. She had to stop for a moment and rest when her lungs were burning unbearably. She took a few deep breaths and started to run again. Eventually, she ran past the Rue de Villette and saw the barricade. She hesitated. She looked around, wondering if any soldiers were near by. Seeing none, she walked over to the barricade and started to climb. Almost right away she was fired at. She let out a cry of pain as a bullet entered her arm. So there were soldiers, just not where she could see them. She kept climbing depsite the pain. Several more shots were fired at her but none of them hit her. When she reached the other side she nearly screamed. They were all dead. All of them. Enjolras, Lesgles, Courfeyrac, Combeferre, Feuilly, Prouvraire, Bahoral, Joly... but she didn't see Marius. Then she saw Gavroche.

"Gavroche!" she exclaimed as she ran over to her brother. More shots were fired at her. One hit her leg. She didn't care. Her brother was dead. She picked him up and held him in her arms. "Oh 'Vroche!" she sobbed. She held her brother close. She was shot at again. The bullet went through her stomach. She cried out in pain. "I'm sorry 'Vroche." she whispered as she put him back on the ground. She knew there was nothing she could do for him, but maybe she could still help Marius. Maybe he was alive. She ran into the cafe. She found Marius there on the floor. He was breathing. She went over to him and picked him up... well, she tried. Eponine was weak from hunger and Marius was too heavy for her. She half carried, half dragged him out of the cafe. She looked around, trying to figure out how to get Marius to safety. _The sewers!_ she thought, she carried/dragged him to the sewer entrance. She was shot several times in the back. She yelped. Marius opened his eyes and looked at her. His expression was that of utmost confusion. He tried to form word.

"E-E-Eponine? What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"Saving your life, what does it look like?" she replied. Marius blacked out again. Eponine sighed. She knew that there was a very high chance that she might not make it to the hospital. Not with the amount of blood that she was losing. But she knew she had to. She had to save Marius, she needed him to live. If she died now, then he wouldn't make it either. She just needed to get him to the hospital.

She dragged/carried him through the sewers. As much as she wanted to, she knew she couldn't stop to rest. She had to keep going because if she stopped then she wouldn't be able to start going again.

It wasn't easy getting Marius through the sewers. Eponine was dying. She had lost too much blood. _There's no way I'm going to live..._ Eponine thought. _But at least he will. _That thought gave Eponine the strength to keep going. She was doing it for the man she loved, but who did not love her. As long as he lived everything would be okay. _If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger._ she thought. _Though, I probably won't continue to be anyway. I'm probably going to die. But first I will save Marius... I have to bring him to the hospital. The doctors can help him, he can live. He can still have a life; I'm giving him mine._

They finally made it out of the sewers. Eponine collapsed. Marius fell to the ground next to her. _No, no, no, no! I have to keep going! I have to get him to the hospital. He needs a doctor's care! I can't... I can't just... I can't... die..._

Each breath Eponine took came in gasps, she was in unbearable pain, and she had lost so much blood. _God please! Please give me the strength to bring him to the hospital! Please..._

Eponine looked at Marius. A single teardrop rolled down her cheek.

"I... love... him..." she whispered. She leaned over and kissed him very lightly on the lips. She forced herself to get up. She picked Marius up again and began carrying/dragging him to the hospital. "I... won't... let... you... die..." she promised him.

She made it to the exterior of the hospital. She collapsed again.

"Somebody help!" she shouted as loud as she could. A couple of doctors came running out. One of them lifted Eponine up off the ground. "Save... him... first..." she told the doctors. The other doctor picked Marius up. The doctors carried them inside. The doctors started working on her right away. "No!" she protested weakly. "Save... him... first!" she told them.

"But you'll surely die!" one of them told her.

"I don't... care! Save him... first!"

The doctors did as they were told and moved on to Marius. It wasn't a big hospital and there weren't very many doctors (there were 3). All of the doctors were needed to help Marius, therefore Eponine was left to wait which was exactly what she wanted.

Eponine's heart was beating very slowly now and now, not only were her breaths coming in gasps but they were also shorter and fewer. _I'm going to die..._ Eponine thought. _But that's okay because Marius is going to live. He will live now. He will be okay. I've saved him... he's going to be okay..._ Eponine shuddered in pain. _The pain isn't that bad..._ she tried to convince herself _I will be okay because he is alive. Even if I die, I will be okay because he is alive. I will still see him... I will watch him from heaven... or from hell. I really don't know where I'm going. _Despite the pain, Eponine felt happy. She was happy because Marius would not die. He would live to see tomorrow. He would be there when tomorrow comes.

The doctors walked over to her.

"He's alive and he will be just fine." one of them told her. Eponine smiled.

"That's all... I need.. to know..." she whispered. Her heart faltered and then stopped.

**Another cliffy. Will the doctors be able to save Eponine? Will Eponine die? And what will Marius think of the risk Eponine took? To be continued... Anyways, please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Here is the next chapter**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables nor do I own the characters.**

9

"–Wonder how she got that way..."

"Probably came from the barricades."

"She shouldn't have left the hospital."

"No, she shouldn't have."

"You think she left for him?"

"Probably. She kept telling us to 'save him first'"

"It's amazing that she made it all the way back here with him."

"I'm surprised she didn't die right after being shot so many times."

"And after losing so much blood."

"It's amazing."

"That it is."

This was the conversation that Marius heard when he awoke. He had been unconsious for 24 hours and it was night again. He wondered who they were talking about, but then it clicked in his head. They were talking about Eponine. He remembered the night before, when he had briefly regained consciousness. Eponine had been there at the barricade. _Is she okay? _Marius wondered. Marius cleared his throat. The two doctors that had been talking turned and looked at him. One of them, an older man with a kind face, smiled at him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked him.

"Fine," Marius replied. "How is Eponine? where is she? Is she okay? Is she alive?"

"I'm sorry, but she didn't make it." said a raspy voice that belonged to neither of the two doctors. The elderly doctor pulled back the curtain revealing Eponine in the bed next to his. Marius looked at her. She smiled weakly at him. "Hello Monsieur," she said. Her voice was cracked and it broke on both words. She did not look well. She was deathly pale and she had dark bags under her eyes. Her breaths were shallow and few.

"Eponine!" Marius exclaimed. He looked at the doctors. "Will she be okay?"

"She may not make it through the night." the other doctor, the younger one with bright green eyes and curly blonde hair, told him truthfully. Marius looked over at Eponine. _She doesn't look like she'll even make through the next hour._ he thought.

"Don't you dare leave me," Marius said to her. Eponine laughed, a short, weak laugh.

"Wouldn't dream of it." she replied, but as she said it her face contorted in pain. She gasped in pain. She tried to hide it, but Marius could see it clearly. He reached over to hold her hand, but the beds were too far apart. The elderly doctor and the young doctor pushed their beds together. Marius took Eponine in his arms. He tried not to brush against any of her wounds, but he didn't know where exactly they were so that made it difficult. Marius held her hand. She squeezed it tightly. Eponine gasped again. The pain was overwhelming, more than she could stand.

"You'll be okay, 'Ponine." he whispered.

"I really wish I could believe you," she replied through gritted teeth; she was trying to hold back cries of pain. _At least the doctors stopped the flow of blood. _She thought. She looked up and noticed that the doctors had left. One of them, the younger one, came running back. He handed her a pill and a glass of water. Eponine looked at the pill. She had never really trusted medicine.

"It'll dull the pain." he told her. That was all Eponine needed to hear. She popped the pill into her mouth and swallowed it down with water. "Try to rest." he told her. Eponine laughed slightly.

"As if _that's _gonna happen." she said as she winced again in pain.

"Well, try." the doctor said before he left. Eponine sighed. Marius kissed her forehead. Eponine managed a small smile. The pain lessened slightly, or maybe she just imagined that it did. She felt better in Marius' arms.

"Eponine?" Marius said.

"Mm?"

"Why did you save me?" he asked her. Eponine looked at him.

"What do you mean why did I save you? Isn't it obvious?"

"No."

"Marius, I've told you before. I love you."

"But you risked your life for me! Why would you do that?" Marius didn't understand why anyone would risk their life for him. He knew that Eponine loved him, but after he'd treated her he didn't see why she would risk her life for him.

"Because I love you. So much that I would die if anything bad happened to you and I didn't try to stop it. When I read your letter I knew right away that you would get yourself into trouble so I had to do something about it. It wasn't easy. No offence Monsieur, but you aren't exactly light. I was shot several times, some of which were from shielding your body with mine. I took you through the sewers and when we got out I collapsed. I didn't know if I would be able to keep going. But I needed only to look at you–" she didn't mention the fact that she'd kissed him "–and I was able to gather the strength to keep going. I brought you to the hospital, well the outside of it anyway, and then I collapsed again. I yelled for the doctors, they came. I told them to save you first."

"You could have died."

"Actually, I did."

"What!?"

"My heart stopped, but the doctors were able to get it started again."

"Eponine, you shouldn't have risked your life for me..."

"If I hadn't you'd be dead."

"And now you might die."

"It would be worth it."

"Why?"

"Because you're alive, Marius."

"You shouldn't have–"

"What? You'd do it for Cosette, wouldn't you?" she obviously hadn't wanted to say _her_ name.

"Well yeah, but–"

"But what? I love you so I saved you. End of story. If I had a chance to do it all over I wouldn't change a thing. You are alive, Marius. That's all that matters to me now. Even if I die, you will still live. That's all that matters to me..." Eponine gasped, her body convulsed in pain. _Oh God! Why does this have to hurt so freaking much!?_ She let out a cry of pain. The medicine clearly wasn't working.

"'Ponine!" Marius exclaimed. Eponine was about to tell him that she was fine, but her body convulsed again and she had to fight back a scream. Her face contorted in pure agony. Tears streamed from her eyes.

"Make it stop!" she begged no one in particular. "Please no more!"

"Everything will be okay, 'Ponine. It'll pass." Marius whispered to her, hoping that it was true. He hated seeing her in so much pain. Marius kissed her temple lightly and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I really wish I could believe you." she rasped. She tried to hide her pain, but Marius was not fooled. Pain was etched into every part of her face. "Marius... I think I'm going to die soon..." she whispered. Marius shook his head.

"You will live 'Ponine. Dear God above! If I could close your wounds with words of love..."

"Even love can do nothing for me now." she told him, her voice barely above a whisper.

"No, don't think like that. Be positive... please..." he begged her. Eponine smiled weakly at him. She wanted the worry in his face to go away. She knew it pained him to see her like this. For that she loathed herself. But it was also nice to know that Marius truly did care about her. She could tell by his tone of voice. He clearly didn't want her to die. But she was slipping. She didn't know if she could hold on for much longer.

"Marius..." she whispered. "I... I love you so much. Never forget that..."

"But you're going to live. You have to! Please Eponine, don't leave me! You're all I have left! I need you... please, please don't leave me!" Marius was sobbing. He didn't want Eponine to die, but he could tell that she was slipping.

"Marius please don't cry."

"'Ponine you mean so much to me, I can't lose you!" he told her. His voice broke. Eponine's eyes filled with tears. She had never realized that she meant so much to him, she thought that he only cared that much about Cosette. To both of their surprise, she kissed him. To their even greater surprise, he kissed her back. Their lips moved together in perfect synchronicity, their lips molded together perfectly; like they were meant for eachother. Eponine closed her eyes and allowed herself to live in the moment. Marius did the same. Eponine pulled back. She was smiling.

"I love you," she told him.

"I love you too." Marius replied. It was true. Marius did love her. _I was a fool not to realize it sooner!_ he thought.

"Thats all... I've ever wanted... to hear..." she whispered. She fell back. She wasn't breathing; her heart had stopped. Marius shook her shoulders lightly. No response. Marius started to panic.

"Eponine!"

**What will become of Eponine? Review if you want her to live.**


	10. Chapter 10

**By popular demand, here is chapter 10 (yay double digits!)**

**Disclaimer: Alas, no. I do not own Les Miserables or the fantabulous (that's a word I invented) characters.**

10

"Eponine! Eponine! EPONINE! Oh God no! Please no! No, no, no, no, no! You can't be dead! No! Eponine come back to me! Please! Come back to me! Please I need you! No, no, no, no! Oh God, 'Ponine!" Marius was sobbing. "Eponine please! I need you! Don't leave me!" he cradled the lifeless body of Eponine. Her eyes were closed, she almost looked as if she were sleeping. But Marius knew otherwise. "Please! Eponine I love you! I love you, I love you, I love you!" he told her, not exactly being quiet. The third doctor, a middle aged man with bright red hair, heard Marius shouting and ran over. He checked Eponine for a pulse. Finding none,he pulled Eponine out of Marius' arms and he started chest compressions. There was a loud crack as one of Eponine's ribs snapped. The stitched on her chest wound opened up and the wound started to bleed again, yet the doctor did not stop doing the compressions. Marius held Eponine's hand as the doctor tried to bring her back to life.

"'Ponine please..." Marius whispered. "Please don't leave me..." his voice shook with tears. He kissed Eponine's hand. _God, please don't take her from me!_ "Eponine I love you so much... I'm sorry it took me so long to realize it..."

At the exact moment that Marius uttered those words, the middle aged doctor was able to get a pulse. Eponine started to breathe again, but very slow and shallow breaths. The doctor went and got a needle and thread. He re-stitched her chest wound.

The other two doctors went over to them, wondering what had happened. The elderly doctor and the young doctor looked at the middle aged doctor **(Okay, I know there's a joke in there somewhere... cyber cookies to whoever can think of one :P)**.

"You get a pulse?" the younger one asked.

"Yes, Doctor Madge." the middle aged doctor replied.

"A stable one?" the elderly doctor asked.

"Yes, Doctor Haden. Well, as stable as can be in her condition." the middle aged doctor replied.

"Good. I had a feeling she was a fighter." Doctor Haden said with a laugh. "Well done, Doctor Coulter."

"Thank you," Doctor Coulter said with a smile. Marius payed no attention to them. His focus was on Eponine, who still hadn't awoken. But he could see the slight rise and fall of her chest, he was able to relax a little. He lay there, holding Eponine in his arms and waiting for the moment when he would see her beautiful chocolate brown eyes open again. Eponine's head was resting on his chest. He kissed her temple lightly.

"You're going to be okay, Eponine." he whispered to her. "I love you, I really and truly do. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that, but I love you and that won't ever change. I'm so sorry for how I treated you before. It won't ever happen again. 'Ponine, I love you and I need you to live. Please don't die again... I love you so much, 'Ponine." he told her. Eponine started to stir. She opened her eyes. She'd heard the last part of what he'd said. She blinked and then looked at Marius. She tried to remember what had happened, but she couldn't remember anything. "Hello there, 'Ponine." Marius said to her. Eponine smiled weakly. It took her a minute to figure out how to form words (she was a bit dazed).

"Hello Monsieur..." she said rather slowly. "What happened?"

"You died..."

"I did?" Eponine asked, not exactly remembering dying.

"Yes, but the doctor brought you back to life." he told her. Eponine thought about that for a moment. She tried to remember what had happened. All she could remember was kissing Marius, then hearing him say he loved her, and then... nothing. Then she'd opened her eyes after hearing Marius tell her that he loved her again. She didn't remember anything else. She looked at Marius.

"Marius?"

"Yes?"

"Do you really love me?"

"With all of my heart." he replied. Eponine smiled.

"That's all I've ever wanted to hear." she told him. Marius smiled. Eponine's body suddenly convulsed in pain and she let out a cry of pure agony. The doctors looked over at her. One ran off. He came back with another pill and a glass of water. Eponine looked at the pill untrustingly.

"This one is a stronger painkiller," Doctor Madge told her. He handed her the pill and the water. She looked at the pill and then at the doctor. "Trust me, it will help. Might make you a bit drowsy, but you won't feel as much pain." Eponine sighed and took the pill. "It will probably start to take effect in an hour." Doctor Madge told her. Eponine groaned unhappily.

"Another hour of this?" she asked, hoping she'd heard wrong but knowing she hadn't. Doctor Madge nodded. He and the other doctors left. Marius squeezed her hand lightly. She looked at him and gave him a grateful smile. The smile turned into a grimace. Her breaths were coming in gasps again. She tried to calm down and breathe normally, but the pain was too much.

"It'll be okay, 'Ponine." Marius whispered, wishing he could do something to take away her pain. Eponine convulsed in pain. "Is there anything I can do to help?" Marius asked her. Eponine thought for a moment.

"Heal me with words of love." she replied with a slight smile. Marius grinned, he had learned a thing or two from Prouvraire. Marius cleared his throat which cause Eponine to laugh. Marius smiled.

"Oh my darling love how I adore thee

Your skin is as soft as flower petals

Your face carries the sun's bright light to me

Your luscious lips touch mine like cold metals

Your long graceful fingers wrap mine gently

In your deep brown eyes I see us together for eternity

How sweet your voice is as it sings lightly

The refined swing of your hips; all for me

But oh, my love, we take it for granted

We go down together floating… floating

Without a farewell, you leave me stranded

I hate the thought of you dying." Marius finished.

He looked at Eponine. He found that she was quite motionless. "Eponine?" no response. "Eponine!" he shook her shoulders lightly. "Oh God! Please no!" he whispered. A wide grin spread across Eponine's face.

"Gotcha!" she said with a laugh. Marius looked at her.

"Not funny." he told her. Eponine flashed him a smile that Marius did not return.

"I'm sorry, Monsieur"

"You really had me worried."

"I'm sorry."

"I really don't want you to die..."

"I know, Monsieur" Eponine was starting to feel really bad about 'playing dead'. "Forgive me, Monsieur?" Marius looked at her. She gave him her puppy-dog look. Marius smiled, a clear sign that he was admitting defeat.

"Of course, 'Ponine. How could I stay mad at you?" he said. Eponine smiled and kissed him softly. He kissed her back. He pulled back and looked at her. "Mon Dieu, you really are beautiful." he whispered to her. She blushed brightly. She clearly didn't believe him. "I mean it, 'Ponine. You are beautiful. Inside and out." he told her. She blushed even brighter.

"Thank you, but you don't need to lie to me Monsieur."

"It's not a lie, Eponine. You really are beautiful." he told her. She shook her head. "How can I convince you?" he asked her. Eponine just shook her head again. She didn't consider herself to be beautiful. Her whole life–before she met Marius, that is–she had been told that she was hideous, that nobody wanted her and that nobody could ever love her. Only when she was much younger was she considered beautiful.

Eponine's face contorted in pain. Marius held her close.

"I really wish the pill would start working right now." she said. She looked at Marius. "But I suppose things could be worse." she added, thinking of how lucky she was to finally be in Marius' arms. It was something she'd long sought.

The pain killer soon kicked in and Eponine's eyes drooped.

"Rest now, dear Eponine. You won't feel any pain." he whispered to her. The last thing Eponine heard before she drifted into the realm of dreams was Marius' soft whisper of 'I love you.'

**Well I hope you enjoyed that. By the way, I don't own that poem. I found it on some website. So Eponine is alive (but wouldn't y'all be really pissed off if I just killed her off?). Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello y'all! So so so, my friend and I were discussing Les Mis (she'd recently seen the movie) and I was talking about how Javert went splat when he jumped and how it was like **_**really**_** audible and she mentioned that she didn't like how he just threw away his second hance at life. I tried to explain it to her. This is how that went: Me: Well, he didn't want to live in the debt of Valjean... he couldn't yield at the end of the chase... *she laughed* he was the law and the law is not mocked! *she laughed even harder* So he spit his pity right back in his face... there is nothing on earth that they share, it is either Valjean or Javert! *we both laughed***

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the characters. **

11

Marius was soon allowed to leave the hospital, but Eponine was not. Marius had asked if he could stay with her, but the doctors had reminded him that a hospital was a place for people who needed help. So Marius went home, but he visited Eponine every day.

Eponine had gotten a lot better. Most of her wounds had almost completely healed, but some still hadn't. But she was no longer on the verge of death. It seemed that she and Marius would get to live a happy life together, which was all Eponine had ever wanted.

"Hello 'Ponine," Marius said as he walked into the hospital room on one of his daily visits.

"Hello Monsieur." she replied with a smiled. Marius smiled back. He took her hand and kissed it lightly. She blushed. Marius kissed her forehead, then her nose, then her cheek, but not her lips. He was clearly teasing her. "Oh come here!" she exclaimed, pulling him close to her. She kissed him passionately. He kissed her back, grinning. She pulled back only to whisper: "I love you Marius."

"I love you too, my dear Eponine."

"Truly Monsieur?"

"With all my heart." he assured her. She smiled. Eponine had looked happier during the past few days than Marius had ever seen her. He kissed her forehead lightly. "Soon you'll be able to leave the hospital," he whispered "and then we can start our life together."

"Promise?"

"I promise." he said as he kissed her cheek. She smiled.

"Marius, I think this is the happiest I've ever been." she whispered.

"Well I'm glad that you're happy."

Soon, Eponine was allowed to leave the hospital. She did not, of course, return to the streets. She went back to living with Marius, just as she had been before Cosette had come into the picture. But Cosette was gone now, Eponine did not have to worry that Cosette would steal Marius away anymore. Now not only did Eponine have her best friend back, but she had something more. She had the love of her life and _he actually loved her back!_

_Je suis heureuse._ Eponine thought. _C'est bizarre._ She wasn't used to being as happy as she was. Her father had never let her be happy before she'd met Marius and even after there had always been the fact that Marius didn't love her. But that had changed and Eponine was impossibly happy which, Marius had noticed, made her a lot of fun to be around. She was also very playful.

Marius lookeed around for his law books. He wanted to do some 'light' reading. He couldn't find them anywhere. They weren't on his book shelf, there were only three books there and they had nothing to do with law. He looked over at Eponine, who was watching him from the sofa.

"Eponine?"

"Oui Monsieur?" she replied with a sort of secretive grin.

"Have you seen my law books?" he asked her.

"Seen them? Well of course I've seen them."

"Recently?"

"Define recent."

"Anytime since yesterday?"

"Hmm... _may_be."

"Have you?"

"Perhaps..."

"'Ponine?"

"Yeeeeeeees?"

"Where did you hide my law books?"

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about."

"For some reason I don't believe you."

"I can't imagine why that would be, Monsieur." she said innocently, batting her eyes. He looked at her, fighting a smile. He knew she'd hidden them _somewhere._ He just didn't know _where_ exactly she'd hidden them.

"Please?"

"Maybe they're under a pillow." she suggested, stifling laughter.

"Are they?" he asked. She giggled.

"No." she replied with a grin. "Maybe they're behind the bed." she offered.

"Let me guess: they aren't actually behind the bed?" he said with a slight smile. She laughed again.

"Nope!"

"Did you hide them?"

"Psht, of course not..."

"Where?"

"Maybe Javert took them. Maybe he ate them." she said, trying not to laugh as the words came out of her mouth. She noticed that Marius tried not to laugh as well. "I wonder what law books taste like..."

"Is there anyway that you're going to tell me where they are?"

"Hmm..." Eponine thought for a moment. "A kiss." she said with a coquettish smile. Marius smiled and walked over to her. He bent down and kissed her. Eponine held him there. Marius wrapped his arms around her, picking her up off the sofa and holding her in his arms. Eponine smiled and deepened the kiss. He held her close. Waves of happiness went through them both. When he pulled back, she smiled. She walked over to the corner of the room and bent down. She lifted a loose piece of flooring. Marius' law books were there. It made a perfect hiding spot. She took his books out and brought them over to him. She then put the flooring back in place. Marius smiled as he watched her.

"Figures you'd find the one place I wouldn't think of looking." he said. Eponine laughed.

"Of course, Monsieur."

"And Javert didn't eat them."

"That surprises me." she said with a laugh. "What _do_ inspectors eat anyway?"

"Souls." he replied, holding back laughter of his own. Eponine raised an eyebrow. She thought about that for a moment.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." she said. They both laughed.

Then there was a knock on the door.

**Bit of a cliff hanger, but not much. Just wait til you see what I have in store *evil laugh*. Any guesses?**


	12. Chapter 12

**Here's another chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or the characters.**

12

Marius walked over to the door and opened it. Standing there was Cosette.

"Marius!" she exclaimed. She wrapped her arms around him. He hesitated before half-heartedly hugging her back.

"Cosette?" Marius asked, not completely sure that it was actually her. _Shouldn't she be in England? _he thought.

"Yes Marius, it's me. I'm here now. I will never go away and we can be together everyday." she told him happily whilst smiling blissfully. Eponine looked away from them. _I knew it was too good to be true... now she's back, he'll remember the love he felt for her and he'll forget all about his love for me... Mon Dieu I hate her..._ Eponine thought miserably. "Marius, what's wrong?" Cosette asked him, noticing that he didn't seem too happy to see her.

"Cosette let's go for a walk." Marius suggested.

"Okay." she said. Eponine heard the door close as the two of them left. She could feel the tears falling from her eyes. She wiped them away. _Why? Why did she have to come back. I thought she went to England!_

"Damn it..." she muttered as the tears continued to fall from her eyes. _They're going on a walk and they're going to talk and then he'll fall in love with her all over again. How could he not? She's beautiful... more than I'll ever be... what with her golden blonde hair and her perfect, twinkling blue eyes... of course he loves her! How could I be so foolish to ever think otherwise! _Eponine was sobbing now. _It's not fair! I finally got my chance to be with him, which was all I ever wanted, but now she's back and she's going to steal him away from me... AGAIN!_ She sighed. _This time he _is_ mine to lose!_ _If she... if she thinks that I'm just going to let her take him from me then she has another thing coming. _Eponine walked out of the apartment and went looking for Cosette and Marius.

She would have run down the streets, but some of her wounds weren't completely healed so she couldn't run. She looked all around, but she couldn't find them. _Where could they be? _she wondered.

Then, she heard the sound of someone sobbing. She walked around the corner and there she saw Cosette, sitting on the ground and sobbing. Eponine blinked and then started to back away but Cosette heard her footsteps. She looked up at her. She got up and walked over to her.

"Eponine." Cosette said, knowing full well who she was. How had she not realised it before? Eponine nodded, not denying who she was. Cosette wiped away her tears. She tried not to think about what Marius had said to her.

_"Cosette... we can't be together any more..."_

_"Why Marius?"_

_"I... I... I'm in love... with someone else..."_

_"You're what!?"_

_"Eponine has been my best friend for so long... and she even risked her life to save me... twice... I don't know how I didn't realise it sooner. I'm sorry Cosette, but I love Eponine. I love her so much..."_

_"E...Eponine?"_

_Marius nodded._

_"Oh God..." Cosette ran off, tears rolling down her cheeks._

"_You_ are the one who stole Marius from me." Cosette hissed. Eponine raised an eyebrow.

"Need I remind you that I knew him first?"

"He was in love with me! But then you... you... you made him believe otherwise. Now he thinks he's in love with you! You always did have to have everything I wanted!" Cosette snapped.

"Excuse me? I didn't _make_ him think he's in love with me. Marius _does _love me. And what do you mean I always had to have everything you wanted!?" Eponine snapped back at her.

"Even when we were little, you had everything! You had all the pretty dresses, you had all the toys, you had loving parents! You and Azelma had everything and I had nothing! But then I got a good life and then I had love... but you had to take that from me! Is Azelma in on it too? Azelma would do anything to make you approve of her. I watched you when we were little. Azelma _always_ followed you around, _always_ did what you asked! I'd bet she's probably in on this too!" Cosette shouted at her. A dark look came across Eponine's face.

"Azelma is dead." she said very quietly, but her tone of voice had a cold fury in it that scared Cosette.

"Oh..." Cosette mumbled.

"Yes. Azelma is dead. Do you want to know how?" Eponine asked in the same tone of voice. Cosette shook her head. But Eponine went on anyway. "My father killed her. Not only that, but when I lived with him he beat me on a daily basis. When you lived with us, you were made into a servant. My father never beat you though, that was still reserved for me. You think you have it so bad. You just lost 'the love of your life'. You don't know what misery is, Cosette. Up until a year ago, my life was full of it. But then I met Marius. He saved me from being raped and from being beaten even more; he gave me a safe place to live. He became my best friend and I fell hopelessly in love with him. Imagine how I felt when he fell in love with you after seeing you once. When I was in the hospital I saw you two kiss. It killed me... literally. But the doctors brought me back. After that I contemplated suicide. That was the night you and your father found me and Marius on the bridge. After that I stopped living with Marius, but I followed him around, sometimes even to your house but I never stayed long and I never let him see me. Then, one night, after following him to your house, my father and his gang came. they were going to rob your house so I screamed. My father gang ran off. I ran off, but my father ran after me and threw a knife at me. I imagined that Marius was with me, but he wasn't. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was the real Marius. When I woke up, I was in the hospital. Marius had written me a letter saying he'd gone to the barricades. So I went and saved him. Nearly died. But I did it because I love him. I have loved him since I've known him. You don't know what heartbreak is, Cosette. Marius was never yours to lose. What you two had was not love." Eponine hissed. Cosette slapped her.

Despite stumbling back (she was still weak), Eponine laughed.

"You don't know what I felt for Marius. It was love. I know it was!" Cosette shouted.

"Well whatever he felt for you wasn't love because he certainly isn't with _you_ right now." Cosette slapped her again. Eponine stumbled and fell to the ground, yet she continued to laugh. "He loves me, Cosette! _He _loves _me!_" Eponine exclaimed as she scrambled to her feet. Cosette slapped her and she fell back to the ground. Eponine laughed darkly. "Feel better?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Cosette said. Eponine stood up. She slapped Cosette.

"Good, so do I." Eponine replied. Cosette shoved her. Eponine slammed into a building, hitting her head hard. She collapsed. She felt a trickle of blood roll down her neck. "Hurt me all you want, Cosette. There is nothing you can do to me that hasn't already been done by my father! So go ahead. Hit me all you want. I'm used to it!" Eponine exclaimed. Cosette looked at her.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have hurt you..." Cosette whispered.

"You can't hurt me." Eponine told her. Eponine's vision blurred. _I must have hit my head pretty hard..._ she faintly thought. "I am going to go home now." she mumbled. She staggered to her feet, swaying a little.

Eponine staggered off. She got lost pretty quickly. _My head hurts... where am I?_

Then she heard harsh voices.

She recognised them immediately.

Her father...

And the Patron Minette.

**Dun dun dun! Please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Here's another chapter. This chapter may get a bit dark. You've been warned.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the characters**

13

Eponine stumbled around, trying desperately to hide. It was dark and what made it even worse was that her vision was blurred to the point that she could barely see. She was pretty much blind and all because of Cosette. _Damn you, Cosette!_ Eponine thought viciously. _If it weren't for you I wouldn't be in this mess!_ The voice were getting closer. _I need to hide!_ she thought desperately. _But how can I hide when I can barely even see!_

Eponine bumped into a building and then fell to the ground. She found herself unable to get up.

"Shit..." she muttered.

"You hear that?" Babet asked. "Sounds like your girl."

"Yeah," Thenardier agreed "it does. Let's get her!"

_Oh God please don't let them find me!_ Eponine thought, begging the lord.

"Can I 'ave 'er?"

"She's all yours 'Parnasse." Thenardier replied. Eponine heard them walk away, then she heard someone walking towards her. _Please no!_ she tried to crawl away. Someone grabbed her ankle and pulled her towards them. She screamed. _Oh God I'm scared! Oh God no! Please no! Please, please don't let it be... please not him... Not him! Oh God, please no!_

"'Ello there Eponine." Montparnasse whispered in her ear. He kissed her neck. Eponine shuddered. She tried to shove him away from her, but she was far too weak and he was very strong. Too strong for her...

"Please no..." she begged him. He laughed. Eponine allowed herself to drift into unconsciousness. She dreamed of Marius.

_"Hey 'Ponine." Marius murmured to her as she woke up. Eponine smiled at the strong arms wrapped around her. 'J'ai souvent rêvé dans les bras de Marius d'être à sa place.' Eponine thought. _

_"G'morning Monsieur." she replied with a smile. He smiled back and kissed her forehead._

_"I love you 'Ponine."_

_"I love you too... so much." Marius kissed her temple and held her close. "I don't want this moment to end." she murmured happily. The smile disappeared from Marius face. Eponine looked at him, confused._

_"But this moment isn't real." he reminded her._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"This isn't real."_

_"No, you're lying!"_

_"You made this all up. This is all in your head." he told her. Eponine shook her head refusing to believe it. "But you know that. You remember what's really going on right now. You remember and you enjoy it..." Eponine screamed in horror as Marius' face morphed into Montparnasse's. Montparnasse grinned at the look of fear on Eponine's face. Then he laughed._

_"No... no, no, no..."_

"...No, no, no, no!" Eponine cried as she came to. She opened her eyes and found that Montparnasse was undressing her. "No, get your hands off me!" Montparnasse laughed. He pulled off her skirt. "No, please, no!" Montparnasse forced himself upon her. Eponine closed her eyes and tried desperately to imagine that she was somewhere else–anywhere else. But she knew. Deep down she knew what was going on. This was something that she'd feared her whole life. Montparnasse had finally done it. He was raping her. She was too weak and defenseless to do anything about it. He had her pinned to the ground and he was forcing himself on her. Tears fell from her eyes. This was the worst thing that had ever happened to her. Worse than any beating, worse than being stabbed, worse than being shot! She felt dirty in a way that she never had before. This wasn't the same feeling as being covered in grime, no, This was different. It was an awful feeling, it was fear itself. She didn't want to die–she was quite certain that she would–this way. She'd always known it was possible that she might die at the hands of her father or one of his gang members, she'd seen it happen to Azelma. But not like this. "Please no..." she whispered, though it made no difference. The harm was already being done. She'd never been so scared... Tears rolled down her cheeks. She could feel his lips on her neck and on other places. She was sobbing now. _Please just make it stop... just make it stop_ she though, not really sure who she was begging.

"Your fear is exquisite..." he whispered to her. She sobbed harder. He laughed at her. He kissed her forcefully. She tried to shove him off of her, but she was too weak. She let out another scream, hoping that someone would hear, that someone would come to her rescue. _Maybe Marius is searching for me..._ she hoped._ Maybe he'll find me... Og God, please let someone find me!_

"Why are you doing this!?" she asked him

"'Cause I can, Eponine. You can' stop me this time. There's nothin' you can do. Not this time! I've wanted you fer so long an' now you're mine!" he told her, a dark grin on his face. Eponine glared at him.

"I will never be yours." she told him coldly. "I am Marius' love. Marius will save me... Marius will find me..." she whispered.

"He's no' even goin' ta look for you. He doesn' care 'bout you!"

"He does care! He'll find me! He will!"

It wasn't Marius who found her. It was Inspector Javert, of all people.

"Hey!" Javert shouted at Montparnasse. "Leaver her alone! This is highly illegal!" Montparnasse looked at the inspector and then scrambled to his feet and ran off. Javert looked at Eponine, who was pulling her skirt back on hurriedly. "There are more police down there, they will catch him." he informed her. Eponine just looked at him. He noticed all of the blood–Eponine's blood–pooling around her. "How badly are you hurt?"

"I d-d-don't kn-know..." she said. She was shaking really badly. Javert helped her up.

"I will take you to the hospital." he told her stiffly. Eponine's knees buckled and Javert had to hold her up. _Well this is awkward..._ she thought. _How many times has he almost sent me to jail?_ Javert picked her up and carried her to the hospital. _Very awkward..._

_She is very light._ Javert thought as he carried her. _Too light..._ he decided. They arrived at the hospital. Doctor Madge rushed over to them. He recognised Eponine immediately.

Javert brought her inside and Doctor Madge helped him carry her over to a bed.

"Back so soon?" Doctor Madge asked her as he started to tend to her wounds. Javert turned and started to walk out.

"Inspector Javert?" Eponine said. Javert turned to look at her.

"Yes?"

"Do you eat souls?" she asked him.

"Do I... did you just ask... what?" Javert spluttered.

"Do you eat souls?" she repeated.

"I... what are you... no. No I do not eat souls."

"What about law books?" she asked. She winced as Doctor Madge bandaged one of her head wounds.

"Why on earth would I... why do you ask such... you are a very strange girl."

"Well do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Eat law books?"

"No, I do not eat law books. Why are you asking such strange questions? Nevermind. I do not want to know." Javert turned on his heel and walked out of the hospital without even a single glance back at the hospital.

"Those were some interesting questions." Doctor Madge commented. "Mind if I ask where you thought of those?" Eponine laughed slightly, glad for the conversation because then she could focus on that instead of what had happened to her. She didn't want to think about that... she knew she'd start to cry again. She felt awful, just awful. She didn't think she could ever feel this bad.

"My love and I were discussing what inspectors eat." she replied.

"Why?"

"I honestly don't know." she said truthfully.

Doctor Madge finished bandaging the last of her wounds.

"You're going to be okay. I suggest that you spend the night here and–"

"No, I need to go home... I need to see Marius..." she whispered, her voice breaking.

"Alright," he said, "but will you allow me to escort you home?" he asked her. She nodded gratefully.

Doctor Madge walked her home, keeping an eye on her the whole time and holding her up when she started to collapse. Eponine thanked him and went inside the apartment. Marius was sitting on the floor looking at a map on the floor in front of him.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, her voice was weak. Marius looked over. He jumped to his feet and ran over to her. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. He kissed her forehead.

"'Ponine, I was so worried! I looked everywhere for you but I couldn't find you so I came back here and looked at the map to try and see where I hadn't looked! Eponine, are you alright?" he asked her. Eponine looked at him.

"No..." she managed to whisper. And with that, she burst into tears. Marius held her close.

"Oh 'Ponine, what happened?" he asked her worriedly. Eponine told him everything. By the time she'd finished, she was downright sobbing. Marius stroked her hair and whispered softly to her sweet nothings, just trying to comfort her.

"I feel all wrong..." she whispered, "and scared... What if... what if he comes after me again? But this fear it's... it's different. My stomach is in knots and there's this sinking feeling deep inside that makes me like something bad is going to happen, like everything is all wrong. Am... am I wrong?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Tears were falling from her eyes.

"No, you're not wrong." he told her. He kissed her temple.

"I feel wrong..."

"No, there's nothing wrong with you." he whispered.

"I feel like it was my fault... like I made him do that to me..."

"It wasn't your fault..." he told her softly.

"I'm so scared..." she said. She was trembling. He rubbed her back gently.

"I won't let him hurt you." he promised her. He kissed her forehead. Eponine wrapped her arms around him, her body racking with sobs. She felt safer in Marius' arms. Marius just held her there. _I am going to make him pay..._ Marius thought. _if Montparnasse _ever_ comes near Eponine again, I will kill him. _Marius couldn't believe that someone had hurt Eponine like that. "It's okay, 'Ponine. You're going to be okay. My dear 'Ponine..." he whispered. Eponine rested her head against his chest and listened to his strong heartbeat.

"I don't know what I'd do without you..." she said quietly. Marius kissed her cheek.

"Your world would go on turning." he replied. She shook her head.

"Without you the world around me changes. The trees are bare and everywhere the streets are full of strangers." she told him honestly. Marius looked at her. She kissed him softly, tears still falling from her eyes.

"I love you,"

"I love you too, Monsieur." she closed her eyes, suddenly feeling very tired. Marius picked her up and carried her to bed. He placed her down and tucked her in. She smiled slightly. "Stay with me?" she was almost begging.

"Of course." he replied. He lay down next to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Don' ever leave me..." she mumbled.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"Love you s'much..." she told him as she started to drift off.

"I love you too, 'Ponine. I'm here."

"S'all I need to know... by the way... Javert doesn' eat souls..." Eponine fell asleep. Marius laughed quietly and watched her sleep for a moment. All of the pain and fear left her face and she looked somewhat peaceful. A faint smile appeared on her face as she draped an arm across Marius' stomach. He smiled and held her close, just watching her sleep, happy that she was alive.

"No one will ever hurt you again..." he promised her. But he didn't know just how wrong he was.

**Dun dun dun! Please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the characters.**

14

"Lemme go! You can't do this!" Montparnasse roared at Javert.

"I can and I am." Javert replied. Montparnasse tried to break away from the cops who were forcing him into a cell. "You are a criminal and you belong in a cell. You will live in this cell until you die." He said as he locked him in the cell.

"She 'ad it comin'!" Montparnasse growled.

"That does not matter. What you did was highly illegal so now you must serve your sentence."'

"Lemme go, you bloody cop!"

"Goodbye." Javert said as he turned on his heel and walked off.

...

"Eponine? Eponine where are you?" Marius was looking around the apartment for her. He had just woken up and had found that she wasn't laying next to him like she had been the night before. "Oh, Eponine! There you are!" he found her in the small dining room. She was sitting in the corner, trembling. Her face was tear stained. Marius went over to her and knelt down next to her. "'Ponine?"

"H-he was th-there and h-he... he k-killed you and... and..." she started to sob. Marius wrapped his arms around her.

"It's okay, it was a dream. It was just a dream, 'Ponine." he whispered to her.

"It seemed so real... he k-killed you..."

"I'm not dead, I'm here with you."

"It was so real..." she sobbed into his chest. Marius stroked her hair lightly. "He came in and h-he had a kn-knife and he... he... you were t-trying to protect m-me and he c-came up behind y-you and he...he..." she sobbed even harder.

"Shh, it's okay 'Ponine. He's locked up now. He won't hurt you or me or anyone." he told her. Eponine started to calm down. Marius kissed her forehead. "You're safe now Eponine. You're safe."

"I love you Marius." she whispered.

"I love you too my dear Eponine." he replied. Eponine pulled him closer to her and then kissed him tenderly. Marius kissed her back, holding her close. Their lips moved together in perfect synchronicity.

...

Word about what had happened between Eponine and Montparnasse had gotten around Paris pretty quickly. Cosette felt a bit guilty for hurting Eponine, but at the same time she felt like Eponine deserved it. Cosette was miserable now that Marius loved Eponine. Since Valjean had taken her away from the Thenardiers, Cosette had always gotten whatever she'd asked for. Valjean had wanted her to be happy so he'd given her anything and everything. Now the only thing she wanted was Marius and she couldn't have him. He was with Eponine.

_I hate her... he loved me first! What we had was true love, I know it was! I... I want her to hurt. I want her to pay for taking him from me! I loved him, but she stole him away from me! He was mine! She made him think that he loves her... I'll show her..._

Cosette ran out of number 55 Rue Plumet. She hated it there. It was so lonely since Valjean had died. She ran towards the jail cells. She looked through one of the cell windows. Sitting in the cell was Montparnasse.

"Are you Montparnasse?" she asked him. He turned and looked at her.

"Who's askin'?"

"Someone who wants Eponine Thenardier to pay."

...

"Eponine you need to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"'Ponine you haven't eaten properly in days."

"I'm not hungry."

"Please eat."

"I'm not hungry." her stomach growled.

"You really do need to eat."

"No." she said stubbornly.

"Please? For me?" Eponine looked at Marius. He was giving her his puppy dog face. She looked at the food in front of her. She picked up a piece of bread and nibbled it. Then she looked at him pointedly.

"Done."

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Obviously."

"Please eat more."

"I'm not hungry."

"That's a lie."

"So what if it is?"

"You need to eat."

"Why should anyone waste food on me?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked her, confused.

"I'm just a weak, useless, defenseless person..."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is..."

"No it isn't."

"You're the only one who thinks otherwise..."

"'Ponine, you're beautiful, and funny, and brave, and caring. You're a hell of a woman. You are the most amazing person that I've ever met. I love you so much, 'Ponine, because you are who you are. You've never tried to be someone you're not. When I look at you, I want to be a better person." Marius told her. She looked at him. She could hear the honesty in his voice. He truly meant every word that he said, and he spoke with such love and passion in his voice. Marius knelt down in front of her on one knee. He pulled out a small black box from his pocket. He opened it. Inside was a gold ring laced with silver. "Eponine Thenardier, will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?" Eponine looked at him, wide-eyed. _Does he really mean it? _she wondered. "Eponine, I love you and I want to be with you forever and for always. Please tell me that you'll marry me." she blinked.

"Of course I'll marry you!" she exclaimed, smiling widely. Marius kissed her and she kissed him back with such fiery passion. She could barely believe it. She was going to marry Marius. "I love you!"

"I love you too... now eat.."

...

Cosette had helped Montparnasse break out of his cell. Montparnasse would help Cosette get revenge on Eponine Thenardier. _She's going to regret stealing Marius away from me!_ Cosette thought. _Eponine Thenardier is going to regret the day that she was born._

_She will not get away with this._

_Marius is mine._

_Eponine will pay._

**Mwa ha ha ha ha... **


	15. Chapter 15

**Here's the next chapter! Snowy Scarf, I think you in particular will enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or the amazing characters**

15

Montparnasse and Cosette spent the following week spying on Eponine and Marius. They noticed that Eponine never left the apartment _(I scared her into staying inside, _Montparnasse thought). They also noticed that every night, they were assuming it was while Eponine was sleeping, Marius would leave and go down to the Cafe Musain, where he would sit in a chair and cry as he sang about the failed revolution and his dead friends. While Montparnasse laughed at that, Cosette actually felt bad for Marius ("All of his friends are dead," Cosette had said. "'Cept for Eponine." Montparnasse had replied. "That will change soon." she had said deviously.) With that, they started to plot their revenge on Eponine; they devised a plan.

Their plan was simple: they would wait until Marius left for the Cafe Musain and then they'd go up to the apartment and knock on the door. Eponine would answer and Montparnasse would knock her out, then they'd take her. Then they could get their revenge.

...

"Eponine look at me." Marius begged her. Eponine shook her head, she had her face buried in her hands and she refused to look at him. "Please?" She shook her head again, she was trembling. "'Ponine, it was just a dream. Now look at me."

"You shouldn't have to see me cry so much..." she mumbled.

"I still think you're the most beautiful girl in the world." he told her. She shook her head. "But you're my lovely fiancee." Eponine moved her face awya from her hand and looked at him. Her face was tear-stained.

"They're getting worse." she whispered. She was talking about her nightmares.

"They aren't real." he murmured.

"I know... they just seem like they are... they're so awful!" a few more tears fell from her eyes. "And they're the type of dreams where you can't move... In them, I can't do anything! But it's not me that he hurts... it's you..."

"Don't worry, he's locked up."

"What if he escapes?"

"He won't"

"But what if he does?"

"Then I'll protect you... and Javert will go after him." he said. Eponine laughed slightly.

"Oh the horror..." she joked.

"Maybe Javert will eat his soul."

"Or just tell him that what he's doing is 'highly illegal'."

...

That night, when Eponine was sleeping, Marius left the apartment and walked to the Cafe Musain. Cosette and Montparnasse went up to the apartment and knocked. A sleepy Eponine opened the door and was about to scream, but Cosette covered her mouth.

"'Ello there Eponine." Montparnasse growled. He hit her hard in her head. Eponine dropped to the ground. He picked her up and then looked at Cosette. "Let's go now." he said. Cosette nodded in agreement. They brought Eponine to an abandoned apartment building. This was where Montparnasse had been hiding out since he escaped from jail. He tied her to a chair. He looked at Cosette. "I'll be back." he said. Then he left.

...

"Here they talked of revolution... here it was they it the flame... here they sang about tomorrow and tomorrow never came." Marius sang softly, tears falling from his eyes. He was alone in the Cafe Musain. "From the table in the corner... they could see a world reborn and they rose with voices ringing... and I can hear them now, the very words that they had sung became their last communion!"

"Aw how sweet!" Montparnasse said with a smirk as he walked into the Cafe. Marius turned to face him.

"You!" Marius hissed.

"Yes, me."

"You're supposed to be in jail!"

"Yeah, what about it?" Montparnasse said. He took a couple of steps toward Marius. "'Ey pretty boy, guess wha'? I got yer girl." he told him with a laugh. Marius lunged at him, pinning him to the ground by his neck.

"What did you do to Eponine!?" he hissed.

"She's with yer li'l blonde thing."

"Cosette?"

"Yeah. Li'l bit wants some revenge."

"Where is she?" Marius growled, pushing harder on Montparnasse's throat. Montparnasse laughed. He shoved Marius off of him easily.

"You can join 'er!" Montparnasse shoved Marius to the ground and then slammed Marius' head against it hard. Marius blacked out. Montparnasse picked him up and carried him out of the Cafe. Little did he know, he was being watched by someone who, after being released from the hospital, was on his way to the Cafe. Montparnasse brought Marius to the abandoned apartment, followed by the mysterious stranger. But the man did not follow Montparnasse inside, he ran off to get help from the law because he knew that Montparnasse could probably over power him in his weak state.

Montparnasse tied Marius to a chair next to Eponine, who was starting to come to. Eponine opened her eyes and looked around the room. She looked at Cosette and then at Montparnasse and then at Marius. She screamed when she saw the trickle of blood coming from an open gash on his head. She tried to get out of the roped that she was tied up with. She looked at Montparnasse.

"What did you do to him!?" she screamed. She looked back at Marius. "Oh Marius... oh Marius, Marius, Marius..." she whispered. "Don't you dare hurt him!" she shouted at Montparnasse and Cosette.

"Oh I'm not going to hurt _him._" Cosette told her malevolently. Eponine glared at Cosette.

"Why are you doing this?" Eponine asked her.

"Because he was mine! I love him and he loved me! But you..." Cosette walked over to her, "You made him think overwise! You tricked him into thinking that he loves you!" Cosette exclaimed as she slapped Eponine across her face. Eponine winced. Cosette pulled out a straight razor from her pocket. Eponine tried again to escape. Cosette pressed the razor blade against Eponine's face. She slashed her face with the razor. Eponine let out a cry of pain. Cosette slashed the other side of her face. Eponine cried out again. Marius started to wake. He opened his eyes and looked at Eponine.

"Eponine!" Then he looked at Cosette. "Are you insane!? Let her go, she hasn't done anything to you!"

"Yes she has! She tricked you into thinking that you love her!"

"Cosette, I do love her."

"You just think that. You love me, remember?" she said as she pressed the razor against Eponine's throat.

"You're a psychotic bitch, Cosette!" Marius exclaimed as Cosette started to push the razor into Eponine's throat, but she stopped upon hearing Marius' words. She turned to look at him, wide eyed.

"What did you just call me?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Ignore tha'" Montparnasse said as he went over to Eponine. He kissed her neck.

"Get away from her!" Marius shouted. Montparnasse tipped Eponine's head back and kissed her full on the mouth. Eponine tried to fight him off, but she couldn't really do anything. "Leave her alone!" he struggled against the rope that bound him to the chair.

"Yes, leave the girl alone." drawled Inspector Javert as he walked into the apartment with the man. Marius and Eponine both looked at the man in complete surprise. Both of them struggled for words.

"But... how is this... but you're..." Marius stuttered

"You... but how... you're dead!" Eponine exclaimed.

"Am I now? It certainly doesn't feel that way." the man replied.

"Now is not the time for this." Javert said stiffly. He pointed his pistol at Montparnasse. Montparnasse lunged at Javert, so Javert shot him. Right in the heart. "That is the end of that." he said as Montparnasse dropped dead to the ground. Cosette screamed. Javert pointed the pistol at her. "Drop the razor blade." he told her. Cosette did as she was told and dropped the razor.

"Please d-don't shoot me..." she begged him. Javert walked over to her and grabbed her.

"You will be going to jail." he informed her. Cosette was shaking. The man went and untied Eponine and Marius. Marius hugged the man.

"Enjolras, I can't believe you're alive!" he exclaimed.

**Yay! Enjolras lived! Please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**So, I've noticed that there are SOOOOO many E/E fics and quite frankly, I just don't understand why. I mean, they never even talk... at all! And there aren't nearly enough E/M fics, so I vow to change that. Anyways, so, who loves Ramin Karimloo? I DO! And I'm going to see him as Valjean in October! So excited! I absolutely love him! So, I'm considering starting another Mis fic in which Marius thinks Eponine is dead and goes on for a couple of years believing that (meanwhile, he and Cosette are becoming distant). He ends up finding her dying on the streets from starvation and some type of sickness. What do you think? Should I start it? Also, please check out my new-ish Les Mis fanfic, Une Pauvre Fille (don't worry, it's in English). **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables, nor do I own the characters.**

16

"How are you alive?" Marius asked Enjolras when they were at the hospital. Eponine was getting her wounds stitched up by Doctor Madge. She wasn't allowed to talk because of where the wounds on her face were. And she wouldn't be allowed to talk for 3-5 days, when her stitches could come off .Needless to say, Eponine was not please. At all. _Thank God that bitch is in jail..._

"Well," Enjolras started, "I was shot at the barricade and I very nearly died. But I guess you could say that I 'woke up'. I don't really remember much, but I guess I made my way to the hospital because that's where I was when I woke up next. They wouldn't let me out of the hospital for a while, not that I argued. They kept the curtains closed around the hospital bed because the doctors were worried that any excitement could kill me. When I was finally well enough to leave the hospital, I went back to the barricade even though I knew what I'd find: nothing. The... the bodies had been taken away. Earlier tonight, I was going to the Cafe Musain when I heard you, Marius. Then I saw you being carried away, so I went and got that Inspector..."

"Thank you for saving us." Eponine said, wincing as she pulled some of her stitches.

"You have to try not to talk," Doctor Madge said as he re-stitched her wounds. After he finished her facial wounds, he started to work on her neck wound, which wasn't as deep as the facial wounds. _This is going to be a long week..._ Eponine thought. She noticed Marius' and Enjolras' smirks.

"Knowing 'Ponine, that's not going to last very long." Marius said with a laugh.

"I'd be surprised if she lasted for a day." Enjolras added.

_You two just wait, when I get these stitches out I am going to annoy the hell out of you..._ Eponine thought with a grin. Marius looked at her.

"Oh no, she's got that devious look in her eyes..." he said, watching her. She smirked.

"She's plotting something." Enjolras said.

"There's a plot afoot!"

"An evil plot!"

_Nope, an annoying plot..._

"Maybe she'll take over France."

_Hmm, yes. That sounds highly likely._

"And overthrow the monarchy." Enjolras added.

_Yes, I'll just march up to the king and say 'Oh, hey, I'm overthrowing you now, m'kay?'_

"And make us all her slaves."

"Some of us already are..." Enjolras said with a glance at Marius. Eponine had to resist the urge to laugh, especially when Marius didn't deny it. She looked at him, one eyebrow raised. Marius just winked at her. "So, I'm assuming you two are together now?" Eponine and Marius nodded. "Well it's about time!" he exclaimed. Marius looked at him, clearly confused. "Marius, Eponine has obviously been in love with you for a long time. I honestly don't know how you didn't notice! I mean, seriously, everyone else knew except for you." Eponine looked at him as if to say 'Everyone?'. Enjolras nodded.

"Everyone knew?" Marius asked.

"Everyone knew." Enjolras confirmed.

"Except for me."

"Except for you."

"Huh..."

...

As Eponine had so correctly thought, it was a long week. She wasn't allowed to talk until her stitches came out, so, naturally, Marius and Enjolras asked her a bunch of totally insane questions, knowing full well that she couldn't answer. But at the end of the week, Eponine's stitches came out and she was finally able to get her revenge. As soon as they got back to the apartment, Eponine began. She turned to Marius.

"Marius?"

"Yes?"

"Did you dream last night? Do you remember your dreams? Do you like to dance? Would you ever consider living abroad? Does your name make any interesting anagrams? What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning? Is the glass half empty or half full? How are you feeling right now? What do you think about the most? Which came first the chicken or the egg? What is your favorite time of the day? Can you close your eyes and raise your eyebrows? If you were trapped on a deserted island for 60 nights and 60 days, what 5 items would you take with you? What are you afraid of? What is your weakest link? Rain or Snow? Do you believe laughter is the best medicine? How tall are you? How many hats do you own? How long could you go without talking? Am I annoying you yet? Are you left or right handed? What's your favourite colour? What animal would you most like to have as a pet? What's your favourite type of tree? Do you believe in ghosts? What's the cleverest word you know? What's your name backwards?" she asked him. He blinked.

"What?"

"You didn't catch all of that? Shall I start over?"

"No, no, no. That's okay."

"Let's go find Enjolras, I want to annoy him."

"Alright then."

They found Enjolras walking out of his new apartment in the same building as theirs.

"Hey Enjolras?"

"Yes Eponine?"

"What's your favourite fruit? Is the grass greener on the other side? If a tree falls in the forest and there's no one around to hear it does it make a noise? What's your favourite type of fish? Do you talk to yourself? Do you sing to yourself? What's your favourite letter of the Alphabet? How tall is the tallest person you know? Do you need to write down things to remember them? Do you keep a diary/journal? Are you scared of thunderstorms? Do you have any unusual fears or phobias? Do I annoy you? Have you ever danced in the rain? Are you scared of the dark? Do you have a lawyer? Who's your lawyer? What's your favourite animal beginning with the letter C? What's your favourite word beginning with the letter Q? What's your favourite number? Have you ever accidentally set fire to yourself?" she asked him. Enjolras raised an eyebrow.

"Apple. No. Probably. Salmon. No. No. Z. 6 feet. No. No. No. No. Quite frequently. No. No. Yes. Marius. Cat. Um, quiver? 7. No, I can honestly say that I have not." Enjolras answered all of her questions. "So, I see you're talking again."

"Yep." she replied. Enjolras thought for a moment.

"I'm trying to decide whether that's a good thing or a bad thing." he said. Marius laughed. Eponine scowled, but laughed despite herself. Enjolras looked at them, noticing that they were holding hands. "So when's the wedding?" he asked when he saw the ring on Eponine's finger.

"May 20th." Marius and Eponine replied in unison.

"So in less than a month." Enjolras said. Marius and Eponine nodded.

**Well I hope you liked it. Did you enjoy my questions?**


	17. Chapter 17

**So here's the last chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the characters.**

17

_You are cordially invited to the wedding of_

_Monsieur le Baron Marius Pontmercy and Eponine LastNameWithheld_

_The wedding will take place on _

_May the 20th_

_Please RSVP by May the 1st_

_We hope to see you there!_

...

The wedding was a lovely ceremony. There weren't very many people there, however, seeing as most of Marius and Eponine's friends were dead. But Enjolras and Marius' grandfather was there and he had brought several of his friends who knew Marius.

Marius twirled Eponine around the dance floor. Eponine laughed delightedly. She looked gorgeous. Her dress was short-sleeved and the top was decorated in flowery designs. The skirt was long and trailed behind her as they danced. The bottom of her skirt was lined with a white, silk ribbon. In the middle of the skirt was a sort of white, flowery wreath. She wore a pear necklace. Her eyes and eyelashes were darkened with kohl. Her lips were painted a deep red. Her dark, reddish-brown hair hung in silky waves down to her waist.

"You look lovely, _Madame._" Marius whispered in her ear. Eponine smiled.

"Thank you." She said, blushing slightly. Marius smiled.

"Anytime." he said as he twirled her. He pressed his lips to hers lightly. She kissed him back.

"I love you, Marius Pontmercy." she whispered.

"I love you too, Eponine Pontmercy." he replied. Eponine smiled upon hearing her new name. She was happier than she'd ever thought was possible. _My dream has finally come true..._ she thought happily.

They ended up dancing late into the night.

_3 years later_

Marius held his newborn daughter in his arms. She was beautiful. She had Marius' light brown hair and Eponine's chocolate brown eyes. Marius looked over at Eponine. She was asleep now. It had been a difficult birth, Eponine almost didn't make it. But now both her and their newborn daughter were alive and well. Marius sat down next to Eponine on the bed, still holding their beautiful newborn. He leaned down and kissed Eponine's forehead. She smiled in her sleep. The newborn squeaked. Marius smiled lightly and kissed her on the nose. She smiled.

"My beautiful Nina Mari." he murmured softly. Eponine awoke and saw them there. She smiled and sat up. Marius looked over at her and smiled happily. "How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"I feel just fine." she replied. She leaned over and kissed him softly. He kissed her back. They were perfectly happy and it seemed that they always would be perfectly happy... together, forever.

_The End_

**Well it was fun writing for you guys! That fanfic I mentioned in the last chapter if up now, it's called One Towards the Other. Also, please check out my other Les Mis fic called Une Pauvre Fille. Well, bye!**


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